HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – While some may see the start of a new year as a fresh start, experts say it can bring unexpected anxiety for others.<\/p>\n
Holly Humphreys, a licensed professional counselor with Thriveworks, said she wants people to know there are ways to reduce that anxiety so they can focus on the new year and accomplishing their goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we tend to build ourselves up a lot with anxiety and just feeling overwhelmed during the holiday season. I see it a lot of times in my clients,\u201d Humphreys said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of under the surface the week before Thanksgiving, and then it just pops through the surface once Thanksgiving happens, and then throughout December with, you know, the constant holiday gatherings, family obligations, feeling like you need to buy a lot of presents, wrapping those presents \u2014 doing all the things for family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said people tend to put a lot more pressure on themselves during this time of year, then when the holidays are over, they can crash from exhaustion and no longer having the distraction of being busy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen your brain is no longer distracted, then our mind starts to wander on things, and then that\u2019s when sometimes anxiety peaks because we\u2019re not as distracted\u201d Humphreys said. \u201cOur mind has a lot more room to worry about things.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some may see the start of a new year as a fresh start, experts say it can bring unexpected anxiety for others.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Humphreys said, people tend not to check in with themselves and take the opportunity to process feelings, which is crucial for moving into the new year strong. She said making the effort to reflect can be a helpful way to cope, but that there\u2019s a difference between reflection and obsessing over something that happened in the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealthy reflection, again, is checking in, identifying the feeling, identifying what\u2019s causing it, and then trying to affect a change to make you feel differently,\u201d Humphreys said. \u201cThe negative \u2014 maybe obsessing over a certain situation where you feel like you\u2019re not really solving anything \u2014 you\u2019re just constantly thinking about it and worrying about it, and then that sometimes will spiral out into, you know, other little rabbit holes.”<\/p>\n
She said that overall, the best way to get everything off your chest is by stepping aside before the new year and writing everything you\u2019re feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWriting things down actually does help collect your thoughts and clear your mind, but it also gives you a little bit of distance and perspective too,\u201d Humphreys said. \u201cI think making kind of like a list of a couple things that you want to work on throughout the year would be great. Kind of set some intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Humphreys said another important thing to do is to plan a self-care day to reflect and relax before heading into 2026.<\/p>\n
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