LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — As soon as the clock strikes midnight on December 31 there's excitement for new beginnings— but clinical therapist, Beatrice Klokpah, explained that the new year can also cause some stress.
“There's a tremendous amount of pressure that comes with change, and new beginnings, and the beginning of a new year is one of them," she explained.
Klokpah said that keeping up with new year’s resolutions can be overwhelming for some people.
“A lot of the times what that feels like is a slow tick up a roller coaster, knowing that on the other side of that there's this mad dash to completing goals,” Klokpah described.
“A lot of the times what also is present is we start procrastinating on the things that we need to do and then that sends us to a cycle of even more anxiety and frustration,” she added.
Though you might be ready to jump into your goals immediately there's no rush.
“You don't have to know everything you want to do this year,” said Klokpah. “Give yourself some time to pause. And maybe the better option right now is to reflect on 2022. And from there the awareness about what's next for you, and 2023 will come up.”
She said that the first thing to do when you're reflecting is to ask yourself some questions.
“What did I accomplish this year? How do I how did I make myself proud? What did my experiences come to teach me about myself and about life this year?” said Klokpah.
This can help prevent people from feeling overwhelmed or anxious as we ease into a new year.
“It's extremely important to balance out the stress that comes with the new year by focusing on your mental health,” said Klokpah.