We have just one week left until the end of the year. If you’re wondering how the year flew by so fast, you’re not alone.
Like the years before, 2023 was difficult in many unprecedented ways. Inflation was at an all-time high. Earthquakes hit multiple countries like Syria, Turkey and Morocco. Floods wiped out a quarter of the city in Libya. And a war between Israel and Hamas broke out.
All these calamities may have affected you in one way or another. In addition to these national disasters, a lot went on in your own personal life. But as we come to a close, it’s important to make peace with what was and what wasn’t. Whether your year turned out as you’d hoped or not, you’ll want to end it positively with grace and dexterity. Here’s how:
Be Mindful of the Zeigarnik Effect
Named after psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, the Zeigarnik effect is the phenomenon that humans recall unfinished or interrupted tasks more clearly than the finished ones.
As the end of the year draws near, it’s easy to focus on all the things we didn’t get to do. But if you examine your life more closely, you’ll realize that you still accomplished a ton of good things.
Sure, you may not have gotten the promotion you were hoping for. But at least you added another year of experience to your resume. Besides, you were still able to pay all your bills and take care of your family. And that is no mean feat. So the next time you’re feeling stressed about all the things you didn’t achieve, make a list of your accomplishments first.
Avoid Social Comparison
Naturally, we tend to socialize a lot more towards the end of the year. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, and New Year’s, these festive holidays allow us to interact more than any other time in the year.
Unfortunately, this also means that people will be probing you about how your year went. They’ll want to know what you’ve been up to or how your family is doing whilst showing off their own accomplishments.
This can make you fall into the trap of comparing your life to others, and this can take an emotional toll on you. To avoid this, prepare a couple of stories you can narrate in advance- ones that had a positive impact in your life.
If something unpleasant happened during the year – like a breakup, job loss or death, determine whether you feel comfortable sharing. Remember that you don’t have to share anything if you don’t want to. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. So come up with a response plan and follow through with it.
Cut Yourself Some Slack
Some people put a ton of pressure on themselves to complete projects before the end of the year, all while offering 100% to each of them.
The truth is that this might not always be achievable. So, before you start feeling remorse, ask yourself, “is this deadline realistic?” “Do I really have to complete this before December 31st?” If the answer to these questions is a hard No, cut yourself some slack.
Do what you can and leave the rest to God. Even if you don’t accomplish everything this year, you have an entire twelve months ahead of you “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?” (Luke 12:24)
