Finding hope when the New Year feels overwhelming

Topics mentioned: anxiety, self-esteem, depression, down and unable to cope

About: Our bloggers share the mental health challenges they've faced at the start of the New Year, and how to find hope, self-compassion, and go at your own pace.

This blog contains reference to suicidal feelings and eating problems. Please do not read on if you think the content may be triggering for you. If you are currently struggling with your mental health, please visit our find help page for information, advice and guidance on where to get support.

I spent New Years Eve of 2021 with my family; however, I was crying. I had been struggling with my mental health for several years at that point, and I had spent the previous New Years thinking, ‘That was a terrible year, but next year will be better.’ But each year was worse than the last and I had given up hope that things would ever improve.

2021 was the worst year of my life. I was battling anorexia, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. I woke up each day wishing I hadn’t. Towards the end of 2021, when I was in hospital due to my mental health, I was terrified. I was afraid of what the future would hold and couldn’t see myself living a life not controlled by mental illness.

In hospital, I was watching Star Wars when Princess Leia said:

This quote stuck with me. It shows that you don’t have to know what the future holds to hope it will be brighter. However dark and hopeless you feel, there is always hope.

I am ending 2024 having done things that scared teenager never thought possible. I still have bad days, but I also have days where I laugh, smile and wake up excited for life.

Looking ahead to the new year can be scary. Maybe 2025 will be the best year of your life. Maybe it will be the worst. Either way, you will get through it.

Even if you have no reason to think this year will be better, hold on. Keep fighting, because one day, maybe in 2025, 2026 or even beyond then, it will get easier, and you will be grateful that you stayed.

As we start January, we often reflect on our past year and set intentions for the next one. For some, this can be an exciting, new venture or a hopeful, fresh start. For others, this change can be filled with a lot of unknowns, doubts and “what ifs”. Or feelings of low self-worth surrounding not quite being where you want to be in life.

If you’re feeling as though you haven’t accomplished as much as you ‘should have’, that’s okay. It doesn’t make you a failure. Please be kind to yourself.

When we have expectations for where we feel we ought to be or compare our lives to other people’s, we can feel as though we aren’t good enough (when in fact, we are). As well as thinking about how much you wish to achieve now or in the future, please also remember to celebrate just how far you’ve come.

2024 may have been tough for you. If it was, you made it - as you have through 100% of your bad days. That’s something to be really proud of. It can also be common to experience overwhelm at the uncertainty of what could happen in the year ahead. If this is you, please know you’re not alone and it will get better.

Moving forward, if there’s something in your life that you’d like to improve for yourself, and you feel able to work towards that - that's great! (Remember it’s okay if you don’t meet any goals you choose to set. We’re all human, and not everything goes to plan.)

However, if you simply don’t wish to set New Year’s resolutions or feel it would be too much pressure, that is also perfectly valid. You are already enough. Here’s to 2025. I hope it brings you joy!

Happy New Year – except you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and existential. The clock strikes 12 and your friends are clinking their drinks and celebrating, but you feel a familiar lump in your throat as you worry that the new year will be the same.

You dread the, ‘What are your new year’s resolutions?’ question because it makes you think, ‘What am I doing with my life?’ You’re not alone if you find it difficult to tap into that same joy and optimism that your peers share. It’s absolutely OK to feel the way you do.

I find that reminding myself of certain things helps make the anxiety a bit easier to stomach, and it helps me feel more grateful. Bringing in a new year means I get to try again. It’s another chance to be kinder to myself and others, to make plans with my friends, to read, to discover new music and films, to taste food I’ve never tried before, and to fail at new things (which is also OK!).

It’s another opportunity to create special memories and laugh until I cry with important people in my life. Sometimes, seeing the new year in this light makes it less scary and more empowering.

There is so much pressure around setting really ambitious new year’s resolutions, but I’ve realised that actually you don’t need to. It’s great to have ambitions and goals, but I would suggest keeping them realistic, simple, and true to yourself.

One thing 2024 taught me is that you can pick up a new hobby or skill at any time - sometimes accidentally or out of necessity. If you told me at the start of 2024 that I’d be able to cook my own carbonara, I would not have believed you.

We can’t predict how this year will go, but sometimes it’s the unexpected, unplanned moments that bring the most growth and joy.