Take time to reflect…

So, 2015 is coming to an end. Soon we’ll be hurtling into 2016, what will it bring for me? What will it bring for you?

Cliched as it might seem, this is a great time of year to stop and take stock. It’s a natural break point in our life cycles, a forced pause as businesses and life around us slows nearly to a stop. Will this be a time for festive joy for you? Or will it bring into sharp focus that everyone else seems to be having a much better time than you?

Whichever it is, or maybe a combination of both ends of the spectrum it won’t hurt to take some time to reflect on what’s been. Find yourself a quiet spot and just stop. Allow your mind to wander to all the things you can recall from this year. Does it strike you that most of your recollections seem negative or are they more positive. Do you get a pleasant feeling reminiscing on the year, or does it feel a difficult and challenging? I imagine for most of us there will be a balance of both. However, those of us that feel more content, I suspect there will be an overall feeling that the year felt good and positive overall.

Now time to look forward. What do you see? what do you feel? Is there that sense that you’re facing an ongoing struggle to survive? Or do you sense another year of doing what everyone else wants you to do? Maybe you’re just not sure, that’s the mid-ground. Things seem unlikely to be good or bad. Is there another way to feel though? Can you look forward and see that you can put things in place to make the most of the year ahead. Are there dreams and aspirations you can attain or work towards?

Try to take the time to figure out what it is you want from life. What about life now doesn’t feel quite as you’d like it. There is no reason why you can’t start to make changes towards a life that you really want. It’s amazing the difference even small apparently tiny changes can make. It’ll allow you to see and feel that you can do something different.

I want you to take time to invest in yourself. This time you’ve managed to find to have a quiet reflective moment can be replicated throughout the year. The great benefit of a period of therapy is that you get time dedicated to you. You carve out a specific time weekly to focus on you and your life. But of course whilst therapy is great, as you’ll have someone to work with and assist you in working through your stuff, you can do the same by yourself or with someone you trust.

The key is in making time for you. It’s too easy to get swept up into “just” doing one extra thing, or a favor for someone and your time for you is slowly eroded. In 2016, make time for you. Start to realise what it is you want from your life, then start to actually do some of the things you want to. Work on your “self-care”, this is my notion for the much needed time an attention we need to spend on ourselves. It’s not about being selfish and all that word’s negative connotations , it’s about treating yourself with the equal respect you treat others with. You are allowed to be equal first in your life.

I look forward to adding more of my musings throughout 2016 and hope that as I go you join me, and find a way to enhance the life you lead, to find contentment.

Have a great Festive period and very happy New Year.