10 BIGGIES You Need to THINK About as 2018 Begins

Happy New Year, everyone! Okay, okay, let’s not overdo it. After all, I’m the one who believes we ought to lighten-up on the “New Year” thing – with its resolutions, etc. Still, maybe we could do just one formal thing? Come on, go with me on this… 

Yes, I was the one who knocked the tradition of using New Year’s Day as “the demarcation point between what was and what will be.”

In the article I posted four days ago, Happy New Year!? It’s About Time., I also encouraged you “not to get hung-up on resolutions, deadlines – points of beginning and ending.”

But I also suggested we all “just live,” doing our best within the flow of time.

It’s in that spirit that I bring you the following…

10 BIGGIES You Need to THINK About as 2018 Begins

Again, I’m not advocating hardcore and rigid first of the year noting activities. But, let’s face it, it’s a good time to swirl some things around.

Perhaps we could call it a time to check some of the essentials and consider some new ideas. After all, in the midst of the ongoing battle, it’s easy to lose the forest for the trees.

‘Nuff said, in no particular order, here they are…

1. Post-holiday blues, short days, bitter-cold temperatures, snow and ice – this can be a mentally and emotionally brutal time of the year. That said, don’t attempt a serious assessment of your mood or anxiety status. And the same applies to prognosticating. I assure you, it’s not going to look good – right now.
2. Learn about secondary emotions. It’s hard enough to deal with primary emotions, our reactions to external events. But adding a secondary emotion, say, feeling shame over an anxious response that caused you to leave a meeting really gums things up. Unidentified and unchecked, secondary emotions make life much more complicated.
3. Examine all available education and relief resources. Whether or not you utilize them, we’re talking meds, supplements, counseling, websites/blogs/forums, support groups, and so much more. Just make sure you have all of your knowledge bases covered.
4. If you’re using meds, are they working as well as they once did? Maybe they never really did the job and that hasn’t changed. Is it time to consider a new antidepressant class (SNRI vs. SSRI)? Is it time to wean off of benzos (Klonopin, Xanax, etc.)? Could be time to find an augmenting agent. Heck, maybe it’s time to find a new doc.
5. If you’re in a counseling relationship, is it working as it once did? Again, maybe it was never of much help. Is it time to find a new counselor? Are you doing all you can to maximize the impact? If you aren’t involved in counseling, perhaps it’s time.
6. How are you going to reach-out and lend a helping hand to others? Though it’s become an area of expertise, it doesn’t have to be in the emotional/mental health arena. Just consider finding a way to give of yourself to at least one person or a cause. The benefit goes both ways.
7. If you aren’t involved in a regular exercise program you’re making a huge mistake. And you’d also be making a boo-boo if you think it has to be this complicated and overblown gym thing. There are all sorts of creative ways to get regular exercise. It really is a priority.
8. Where are you with non-med/therapy treatments? Let’s see – meditation, yoga, massage, supplements, acupuncture, mindfulness, exercise, diet, and more. Likely won’t be the ultimate fix, but sure can make life a lot more tolerable.
9. What about acceptance of your emotional/mental circumstances? According to Dr. Steven C. Hayes, quoted in this Chipur article, “Acceptance, in the sense it is used here, is not nihilistic self-defeat; neither is it tolerating and putting up with your pain…Those heavy, sad, dark forms of ‘acceptance’ are almost the exact opposite of the active, vital embrace of the moment that we mean.”
10. How’s that self-esteem? No way can we understate its importance, right? And with us, it’s a reciprocating phenomenon. Feeling as though we’re lower than a snake’s belly depresses us and makes us anxious. Feeling depressed and anxious clobbers our self-esteem. By the way, we’re talking secondary emotions here. Please, do what you can to get as right with yourself as possible, okay?

That’s All, Folks

Okay, so it wasn’t about formal New Year’s “resolutions, deadlines – points of beginning and ending.” Nah, it’s only about using an extraordinary time of the year to take a look at your game and making sure you’re as sharp as possible.

Absolutely, we can’t afford to lose the forest for the trees…

Referencing #3, there are hundreds of Chipur titles in the stable just waiting for you to work ’em out. Here are the titles.