The impact of a New Year can often mean feeling stressed, swamped and overwhelmed, both physically and emotionally. However, physical well-being can play an important part in our mental health, so keeping well, looking after coughs and colds, getting a good night's rest, taking time for ourselves, time to think and not be reactive, are all important. There can be lots of things we do to help this physical and emotional well-being, deep breathing and relaxation can be aided by using lots of free social media apps, we can download music, go for a walk, take a relaxing bath, light some candles or stop, and have that cuppa. But to do this YOU must be on your own list. You have to put yourself there. A New Year can often mean we dwell on feelings and emotions that are negative; not the positive ones such as what has gone right, what we have done well, what we have learned - especially about ourselves. For this reason I like the saying "a man who never made a mistake, never made anything", as this underlines the value of all our experiences. However, moving from Christmas to New Year and then seeing January come to an end, can often exacerbate these feelings of things unaccomplished and there feels a pressure to change dramatically and to make big decisions. Yet any change has to be supported by individual steps, and a plan of how to make it all happen. Are we ready to ask for help and support at this stage? Going it alone, the new diet, exercise regime or night class, can often fall by the wayside if we haven't got people to share it with. The same can be said when it comes to seeking help to change our habits, behaviour and self-beliefs - sharing the journey with a professional could make all the difference.
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