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Key points
- The end of the year serves as a good reminder for the important goals we have.
- Focus on positive experiences you have had this past year, and less on what hasn’t happened.
- It is not too late to start a meaningful goal you have.
- To boost your confidence and reduce year-end anxiety, take one small action step today.
There’s nothing like the end of the year and season changes to bring up a lot of different feelings. Stress, anxiety, anticipation, excitement, and dread are some examples of emotions that people feel when they realize the end of the year is fast approaching.
It’s normal to become more self-reflective and emotional during this time of year.
Common reasons for feeling year-end anxiety
- Realizing we have goals and experiences we didn’t get to
- Feeling like we’re running out of time to do the things that matter
- Anticipating end-of-the-year social obligations and responsibilities
How to Cope
1. Reflect on the positive experiences you had and acknowledge the wins from this past year.
It’s easy to forget what you have accomplished. It’s easy to lose sight of the positive experiences you have had. When we’re so busy and wrapped up in what’s next, we quickly dismiss the good.
Practice: List your best memories, proudest moments, and small-to-big wins from this year so far. List the people who helped make this year great so far. List what went well compared to this time last year.
2. Recall the goals or experiences you hoped to have this year.
What are things you want to get done before the year ends? Be clear on what you think you should do and what you genuinely want to do. As for those things you should do, let them go. Permit yourself to let those go for now. It’s liberating to just accept that not everything you hoped for will happen and that is okay.
Practice: Choose one to two things you want to turn your attention to and can do.
3. Do one thing related to this goal today.
Rather than wait until next year to “restart,” take action today. It’s not too late to simply do the thing today. Importantly, have fun with this.
Practice: Make plans. Reach out to friends. Tell people what you’re excited about and what you plan to do. Sharing what you’re doing could help someone else take action on something they want to do as well.
Two Helpful Mindset Shifts to Feel Less Anxious
- Be kind to yourself. It’s easy to get down on yourself for what you didn’t do. It’s easy to be critical of what you could’ve done, should’ve done, and whatever other ways you feel like you failed. Harboring more negative judgments against yourself won’t help you move forward nor will it change anything about what has already passed. Being understanding and forgiving yourself will help you keep going with the precious time that remains this year.
- Remember that the end of the year is only an arbitrary marker of time. We don’t have to use the end of the year or a new year as such a serious end-all-be-all deadline. These time markers can be useful motivators, but they shouldn’t be taken with such a rigid attitude that if you don’t get something done by December 31 then all hope is lost. This sort of “it’s too late” or “what’s the point” thinking will always hinder any sort of change or progress.
It’s completely normal to have all the feelings about the end of the year. If you’re prone to getting nervous about it, talk with someone and figure out why you’re nervous. Put a name to those things and come up with ways to make it feel less nerve-wracking.
