✨ New Year’s Eve: A Time for Reflection, Not Pressure ✨

As New Year’s Eve arrives, there can be an unspoken expectation that we should feel hopeful, excited or ready for a fresh start 🎆

But for many people, this time of year feels quieter, heavier — or even painful 💭

If you’re finding yourself reflecting on the year that’s passed with mixed emotions, you’re not alone 🤍 New Year’s Eve naturally invites us to look back, and that can stir grief, regret, pride, relief, exhaustion — or all of these at once.

🌿 Reflection doesn’t have to mean judgement

We often approach reflection with a critical eye:

“I should have done more.”

“I should be further along by now.”

“I shouldn’t still feel like this.”

But reflection doesn’t need to be harsh or demanding. It can be gentle. Kind. Honest 💫

Instead of asking “Was this a good year?”, it can help to ask:

• 🌱 What did I survive?

• 🧠 What changed me?

• 💛 What did I learn about myself?

• 💬 What felt hard — and why?

• ✨ Where did I show courage, even quietly?

Sometimes simply getting through the year is an achievement in itself 🌙

🕯 When the year has included loss, trauma or change

If this year has brought bereavement, illness, relationship breakdown, anxiety, addiction, burnout or trauma, New Year’s Eve can feel especially tender 🤍

There may be a sense of:

• 💔 longing for what was

• 😟 fear about what’s ahead

• ⏳ pressure to “move on” before you’re ready

There is no deadline for healing 🌱 Grief and recovery don’t reset at midnight. It’s okay to carry the past with you into the new year — healing often happens alongside it, not instead of it.

🌙 You don’t need resolutions to move forward

Not everyone needs goals, lists or promises to be better.

For some, the kindest intention for the year ahead is:

• 🤍 more self-compassion

• 🚫 less self-blame

• 🧘 listening to your body

• 🙋 asking for support sooner

• 🐢 taking life one step at a time

Change doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful ✨

⏸ A gentle pause before the new year

As tonight unfolds, you might consider giving yourself a moment — just a pause — to acknowledge everything you’ve been through 💭

You might ask yourself:

What do I need more of next year — not what should I do? 🌱

Rest 😌 Safety 🛟 Understanding 💬 Connection 🤝 Boundaries 🚧 Hope ✨

These are all valid starting points.

🌱 Moving into the new year, together

If you’re entering the new year feeling uncertain, tired or emotionally stretched, support can make a real difference 🤍

Therapy isn’t about fixing you — it’s about understanding you, helping you feel less alone with what you carry, and finding a way forward that feels manageable and true to you 🧠💛

If you’re ready to begin, or even just curious, you’re welcome here 🌿

🌱 You don’t have to have everything figured out to take the next step.

👉 Learn more or book a session at www.verytherapy.com

— Roseanna

Senior Accredited Counsellor

Specialising in anxiety, trauma, phobias, loss & addictions