End of Year Reflection Anxiety and Overthinking

As the year winds down – even before Christmas arrives – many of us start mentally reviewing the last twelve months. This quiet reflection can easily turn into overthinking, anxiety, or self-criticism long before the countdown to New Year begins. If you struggle with end of year reflection anxiety and overthinking then it can be hard to quiet your busy mind in December.

As the year draws to a close, many people notice their minds becoming busier than usual. It’s common to start mentally reviewing the past twelve months. For some, this reflection quickly turns into overthinking. Thoughts loop and regrets resurface. Self-criticism creeps in – often at the same time as festive pressure and emotional overload. The tiredness from the Christmas rush can play a part in where your mind goes, along with the increased alcohol and sugar. Your normal routines can be thrown out and you can have more time to think. Old family and festive triggers and memories can also create anxiety.

The end of the year can feel like something significant. It’s a time of endings and the coming of a fresh chapter with the twelve months ahead. You find all sorts of overthinking can fill your mind. Thoughts about the past twelve months, what went well, what didn’t, what should have been different, what you didn’t achieve and what the New Year might bring can all start circling at once.

For some, this reflection can feel positive and motivating. As I think back on my own year, it has definitely been a full on one with a host of personal challenges and changes. On a work front, I’ve helped many, many people with hypnotherapy for anxiety and have been grateful to receive dozens more positive reviews. I’ve won some awards, written many new articles about hypnotherapy, anxiety and mental health. And I’m fortunate to now be an Ely Standard columnist to try and reach and help as many people as possible. And the coming year is looking pretty exciting too. There’s more helping people and articles. And, there’s my new anxiety podcast (in association with Spotted in Ely) and a book to look forward to.

For some, their end of year reflection triggers overthinking, anxiety, regret, guilt or self criticism. End of year reflection anxiety can dominate your mind and leave you feeling low frustrated and full of worry. It could be part of your general anxiety and habitual thinking processes. Or it may be something that just hits you as the year draws to a close.

You can find yourself overthinking and replaying moments from the year, worrying about the future, or feeling uneasy instead of peaceful in December. End of year anxiety can trigger and exacerbate anxious thoughts and feelings that then quickly take hold.

 

Why Anxiety and Overthinking Increase at the End of the Year

December naturally encourages this end of year reflection. There are ‘year in review’ posts and media everywhere. And there is goal setting advice for January and messages about success, progress and fresh starts and a ‘new’ you. It feels like a time when we should be both reviewing what has been and planning for what will be.

For some this reflecting and planning can feel inspiring, motivating and exciting. For others, it feeds end of year anxiety and overthinking.

Common triggers for your anxiety and overthinking can include:

• Comparing yourself to others
• Feeling you are not good enough or worthy
• Stressing that you ‘should have done more’
• Regret about missed opportunities
• Worry about the year ahead
• Financial or career concerns
• Family or relationship worries
• Pressure to make big New Year changes

Everything can spin and race around and around inside your mind. You jump from one thing to the next. You start feeling under pressure and stressed and you find yourself focusing upon all the things that support that. You overthink, feel low and worry as you think back on the last twelve months and as you wonder what the next year will bring. Your mind tries to evaluate everything all at once and switches into overdrive.

 

Why Your Brain Gets Stuck in Overthinking Mode

Your brain is designed to learn from the past and experience. It’s all designed to prepare you for the future.

Anxiety pushed that process into a racing, negative spiral. Instead of calm and balanced reflection, you get endless analysis, worst case scenarios and fear based predictions. Everything in your head gets energised by your anxiety. You think back, dwell and feel low and frustrated. You think ahead to potential catastrophes and wonder how you will cope.

Your fearful thinking frightens you and you feel even more anxious. Your brain continues to search for the threats and things that could go wrong. You find yourself on high alert when you want to be resting, relaxing and enjoying the festive season.

You get stuck in overthinking mode. Your mind feels noisy and you may struggle to switch off. You might notice:

• Replaying conversations or past decisions/events
• Constant ‘what if’ and worst case thinking
• Harsh self criticism and negativity to yourself
• Difficulty switching off at night
• Problems concentrating or making decisions
• Reassurance seeking
• Tightness in your chest or stomach
• Feeling a sense of dread or unease for no clear reason
• Feeling emotional, low or unsettled.

With your brain stuck in alert mode, it can feel like there is no let up to your end of year anxiety and overthinking. There are no solutions and there is no real problem solving. Its like you are seeking answers and certainty where none can be found. Even if you close off one train of thought, it’s like there is always something else to worry about.

The good news is that it is possible to calm your feelings and quieten your mind. Hypnotherapy for anxiety in Ely and Newmarket can help you regain a sense of calmness, confidence and control over your own mind.

If your racing thoughts at night are keeping you awake then take a look at this related article: December Sleep Anxiety.

Sometimes reflection anxiety and overthinking can contribute to panic attacks: Panic Attacks at Christmas

Or if you are struggling with festive overwhelm then you may want to have a read here: Festive Overwhelm 

 

Simple Ways to Calm End of Year Overthinking

I’ve covered many ways to manage anxious thoughts and feelings in my website articles. You can scroll through my anxiety hypnotherapy articles if you want some strategies and techniques for managing your thinking.

And here are some new ideas for ways to calm end of year overthinking:

1. Replace Harsh Judgement with Gentle Perspective: Instead of asking yourself why you didn’t do things better, think about what you handled as best as you could at the time. Regret and hindsight rob you of happiness. You were always doing the best you could with the knowledge and resources you had back then.

2. Separate Reflection from Self Criticism: Reflection is about learning and clarity, it’s not an exercise in punishing yourself. If things didn’t go to plan, consider what you can take from that to better prepare you for the future. If your end of year reflection leaves you feeling bad or anxious then it has become hollow self criticism. Try to gain some objectivity over what may have occurred and use this to move your life forward in ways that bring you more joy and success.

3. Limit Mental Scanning Time: If you struggle with avoiding anxiety and self criticism then set aside only a short window for reflection. If you find yourself analysing everything outside of that time, remind yourself that this stuff is for the next time you have set aside. Better still, start keeping a list of the positives from the year with all the good times, those times you smiled and laughed, times you felt proud or anything else that was a good moment. Use this to train yourself to notice the positives and to let it create some balance in your thinking.

4. Ground Yourself in the Present: Anxiety lives in the future and dwelling lives in the past. Calm lives in the present. Sometimes your thoughts start to run away from now and go in all sorts of loops and create all sorts of tangles. If you let anxious thoughts do their own thing then you can find your overthinking moving further and further into the future, all the while predicting worse and worse outcomes for you. Use simple grounding techniques, such as breathing or the 3-3-3 method to bring yourself back to the present moment and what is going on right here and right now (you can find techniques here: Mindfulness for Anxiety and Stress During Festive Chaos).

5. You Don’t Have To Fix Next Year Right Now: At the end of the year, it can feel like you need to get everything sorted ready to have the most productive, successful, healthy and amazing year ahead. Yet you don’t need a complete life overhaul mapped out by January 1st. Progress comes from taking one small step after another. Rather than trying to solve everything at once, set a small step and work towards it. Once that ha been accomplished set the next small step. Consistency builds momentum.

Some people use alcohol to try and calm their feelings and slow down their thinking. However, this can rebound into even more anxiety: Alcohol Anxiety

 

Hypnotherapy for Overthinking and End of Year Reflection Anxiety

Hypnotherapy can help you to change the patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that drive end of year anxiety, overthinking and self criticism. Using normal psychological processes you can move away from doing the same old things in the same old way. You don’t have to continue to be burdened with end of year reflection anxiety and overthinking.

It can help you:

• Switch off racing thoughts
• Change habitual thinking patterns
• Reduce fear based thinking
• Build calmer emotional responses
• Feel more confident in yourself and about the future
• Think more clearly, logically and rationally

You can change your thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions in positive ways that allow you to move forward in your life. You start feeling more calm, confident and in control.

Once the underlying anxiety patterns start to change, you can start creating the life you want for yourself, one where you feel happier and better. Instead of anxious and negative reflection, the end of the year can become a time of calmness, self belief and clarity.

If overthinking is stealing your time, peace and energy this December, support is here. Book your free consultation in Ely, Newmarket or online and find out how I can help you to quiet your mind and move forward with confidence.

To your health and happiness,

Dan Regan

Anxiety Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

 

Find out more about anxiety hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket: Anxiety Hypnotherapy

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