Reflections on Gratitude and the New Year, from a Maryland Therapist
Winter is just around the corner (or is it already here? I can’t tell because of the weather) — and many of us (including us Maryland therapists) are thinking of or spending time with loved ones during the holidays. This time of year is a great reminder for us to consider endings and new beginnings.
It’s also important to remind ourselves of our goals and dreams periodically, and what better time than near the end of the year?
Here are 3 questions our anxiety therapists and ADHD therapists ask themselves and their clients at this time of year.
1) What are you grateful for that’s beginning?
2) What are you grateful for that’s ending?
3) What do you want to work on for the next season?
These three questions will orient you toward feeling more grateful for what has happened in the past, whether the year was difficult or full of new progress. It’s a great way of reorienting and re-centering the self in the present by processing the past.
1) What are you grateful for that’s beginning?
When you consider what you are grateful for, you are orienting yourself towards a vision with your future in mind. Intentionally incorporating habits that have led you to what you are grateful for is important. This is where concrete goals can start. Once you have a big vision for the overall tone of your goals, you can begin to write the nitty-gritty details of your plan around your goals.
For example, noticing that you are grateful for your health. What sort of things have you been doing this year to keep up your health? Being mindful and intentional with incorporating those habits that have led you towards feeling more healthy this year can continue into the new year.
“But I have anxiety. Setting goals is overwhelming. I feel like I’m going to fail.”
It’s natural to find it daunting to set a new goal. You may be thinking ‘what if it never gets finished?’ Or ‘what if it’s hard to stick with?’
This is where therapy for anxiety can help.
In therapy, you’ll learn to recognize the voice of anxiety. And distinguish it from your own voice. You’ll hear those anxious thoughts. And answer them with confidence. “If that happens, I can handle it.” And therapy for your own anxiety can help your kids learn to handle anxiety too. For more about that, see this post.
2) What are you grateful for that’s ending?
This is a great question to ask to consider the past. What are you grateful for that is ending, and how can you maintain habits that allow the past to be in the past and move forward with future progress? Maybe it’s something that caused you anxiety and is finally over; or maybe it’s something difficult you had to do and have now finished.
This question can also spotlight the ways you’ve grown throughout the year. And the next question might help you decide how you want to continue that growth and self-development.
3) What do you want to work on for the next season?
This was specifically worded to say ‘season.’ Sometimes it’s great to have an overall goal for the year. However, motivation is strongest when we have smaller goals to reach along the way. We’ll go further toward that big year-long goal if we take it one step at a time. We’ll get what we really want. (And be able to reorient in smaller pivots, rather than trying to take stock of the whole year’s goal at once).
Therapy for adults with ADHD can help with goal setting. And tracking progress.
Especially for adults with ADHD, going to therapy can be a great way to stay on track toward your goals. Goals are built in to the therapy process. Your therapy goals ARE your life goals, broken down into the emotional and behavioral steps you’ll take to get there. And a weekly meeting with a therapist helps keep you accountable for making progress.
Why does gratitude matter?
Reflecting with gratitude allows us to take stock of where we are, in a way that supports our future growth. It can allow us to pause, take a mindful moment and consider what we have learned (and perhaps what we have lost) throughout the year. So give yourself the time. Do it right now. We’ll wait…
Or set an alarm in your phone to do it at another time. Just be sure you make the time. A pause to reflect can be essential for your mental health. It’s a great way to calm the storm inside (even just for a bit) and reinvent and reconsider.
Ready to build your best year in 2023? Connect with our ADHD therapists and anxiety therapists here.
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