A Year in Reflection

The end of the year is a great time to look back over your year and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Some people do a formal reflection and others just spend some time thinking about it.

2020 has been a rough year for many of us. You may feel trapped at home with too many people or all alone. You may feel stressed about losing your job, going to part-time or if you do work, having to get so much done. People who are working out of the home may fear getting sick or having to wear masks all day long. Needless to say, this has been a challenging year!

This is a great time to focus on what is important to you. Many businesses and state agencies closed to people can be with their families at this time of the year. During this time, we may not get to see everyone or travel to see family like we normally do. So how can we use this time to reflect?

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to start the process:

1. What are your priorities? What are the most important things to you?

Make a list of your values and think about how you can improve on them. Such as, is family a priority, making more money, school or health. You can google values and make a list of your top 10 values and then narrow it down to 3 that you would like to focus on.

2. What did you like about this year and want to keep doing?

You did something right. Home more with the family? Less distractions? How can you keep that up when you are able to get back to your normal routine?

3. What are the things you want to be different in the new year?

This year has kind of sucked. So what can you do differently? If you are stuck at home for a few more months, what sounds like fun? What can you do to improve your situation?

4. I always suggest you look at the basic things:

Sleeping, eating and exercising and see what needs to be improved. Are you getting enough sleep every night? Would a new pillow help? Are you eating healthy? FDA recommends 6-9 fruits and vegetables a day. How can you get more? How are you getting up and moving? I broke down and got an elliptical to help with getting enough exercise since I am working from home and just not moving as much as I was. 

5. How is your schedule?

Are you keeping up with all of your appointments? Do you need a different schedule or a different way to track things? This is a great time to look at your organizational skills and see what needs to be tweaked.

6. What do you want the new year to look like?

This is a great time to look at what you have to look forward to as the new year approaches. Many people make vision boards and set some intentions for what they want to accomplish. Sit and dream big.

7. What things do you want to accomplish?

Do you want to plan a vacation or vacations? Get a degree? Get a promotion? Finish a project?

8. How do you want your life to look or be at the end of next year?

Make it a stretch, but achievable. Saying I want to be the president of the company when you are currently working in the mail room is probably not achievable but saying I want to work on a promotion is. 

After you set your goals for the year. Review them periodically. One way is to look at them monthly and put them on the calendar so you don’t forget to do them. 

Tina Kinnan, MRC, LCMHC

Owner | Mental Health Therapist