Happy New Year!
With another twelve months ahead of us, it’s important to make sure we start off on the right foot when it comes to preserving our mental health. Not only will this help your body and mind thrive, but it will also enrich the spiritual aspects of your life.
In this post, we’ll review some ways you can overcome anxiety and depression throughout the new year.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
– Jeremiah 29:11
Recognize your feelings
When we’re in a particularly tough spot emotionally, it’s tempting to see ourselves as broken or hopeless. We might even tell ourselves that our emotional discomfort isn’t real because there are people who have endured so much more without getting depressed or anxious.
But if we instead acknowledge that these feelings are valid—even though they may seem overwhelming at times—we can begin overcoming depression and anxiety before things get out of hand.
Build a foundation of self-love
If your idea of self-love is to be perfect, you’re going to have a hard time. But if you view it as the foundation for your mental health, it will be much easier to work on.
“Am I trying to win the approval of men, or God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ”
– Galatians 1:10
Self-love isn’t about being good at everything or getting everything right; it’s about building an understanding of who you are and accepting yourself as that person.
This can take many forms: spending time doing things you love, nurturing relationships with people who care about you, putting aside time to read scripture, eating well and exercising. In doing so, you’ll build a foundation so that, when life gets hard or anxiety strikes again, your mental health is strong enough to hold them back.
Practice gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful tool for taming negative feelings, and it’s an important part of the self-esteem process. Here are just some of the benefits that practicing gratitude can bring:
- It will change your mindset from “I don’t have enough” to “I’m grateful for what I have.”
- Your life will be more fulfilling because you’re focusing on tangible things rather than worrying about what doesn’t exist yet or what may never come into being.
- By focusing on happiness instead of sadness, anger, or fear (which are all negative emotions), you’ll keep toxic thoughts out of your headspace so they don’t weigh down on your mental health.
Join our New Year’s challenges!
Whether you’re searching for another new year’s resolution or—for those who don’t believe—are ready to take a leap of faith, we’d love you to join our two upcoming challenges: the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge (February) and our 31-Day Overcoming Anxiety and Depression Challenge (March)!