New Year Anxiety: How To Prepare Yourself Mentally for January

Christmas is over and January approaches. It’s the time when New Year anxiety starts to rise. This article explains why anxiety often increases around the New Year and offers practical, calming strategies to help you prepare mentally for January.

The activities, celebrations, resting and festivities are all over and done for another year. And now comes the dread and worry as January arrives. Your normal routine and rushing around is about to kick back in. Even worse, the weather is rubbish and the nights are dark.

Many people start to notice their anxiety increasing between 27 December and early January. If you’re experiencing New Year anxiety in Ely, Newmarket or the wider Cambridgeshire area, understanding these patterns can help you feel calmer, and hypnotherapy may offer support where it feels needed.

You might have a sense of dread about returning to work or getting back into the school run. This can come with racing thoughts about demands, routines and responsibilities. There will be people, tasks and things that you’ve enjoyed being away from and that you now need to face. You might also feel under pressure to make healthy changes or improve yourself.

You might notice that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, or an increasing restlessness and irritability. It’s like a mental countdown where all these things get closer and closer, robbing you of peace and enjoyment right now. It can affect your sleep and lead to low motivation mixed with anxiety.

These thoughts and feelings are often called New Year anxiety or January anxiety. You dread things, think the worst and feel agitated. However, it is possible to successfully tackle these negative thoughts and feelings and to enter January feel calm, confident and positive.

 

New Year Anxiety: A Quick Explanation

In short:

New Year anxiety is a common response to the sudden return of structure, expectations and pressure after Christmas. It often shows up as worry, restlessness and overwhelm in the lead up to January and as the new year starts.

As you think ahead to normal routines and activities restarting, you start experiencing anxious thoughts and feelings.

 

Why Does Anxiety Increase Around the New Year?

There are several reasons why your anxiety can start to increase as the new year approaches and arrives.

 

1. Sudden shift from rest to expectation

Christmas, and especially the days that follow it, offer you some emotional and physical downtime. Even if you had some work or plans, it can all feel more relaxed and peaceful. January brings demands, structures, schedules and responsibility. It can all feel abrupt to your mind and body. After all the excitement and momentum before Christmas and then the calm after it, this fills you with dread, stress and it feels hard. The weather is miserable, the days are darker and there is nothing but routine until Easter.

If you’ve struggled with post Christmas anxiety and emotional crash, then it can feel overwhelming and too much to contemplate: Post Christmas Anxiety and Emotional Crash

 

2. Self pressure and comparison

The New Year can trigger limiting thoughts about how you should feel more motivated and you should be fixing and improving things. You place pressure on yourself and can be self critical. You may also carry out negative comparisons with others as they seem to be ready, progressing and have all their stuff together.

This expectation, pressure and comparison can aggravate and increase anxiety.

 

3. Unresolved emotional carry over 

Sometimes Christmas is not all joy, harmony, connection and celebration. There may have been arguments, fallings out and unmet expectations.

Stress, family tension or exhaustion from December may not be fully resolved and feel settled before January arrives.

This links closely with: End of Year Reflection Anxiety and Overthinking

 

4. Fear of repeating patterns

You may have had a break from several aspects of your usual routine. You may have managed to put it all out of your mind for a while. But now it is back and all very real again.

You may worry that January will bring back the same old burnout, panic symptoms, low mood and anxiety cycles. You dread the return to the same people and things happening in the same repeating way.

If you’ve experienced panic attacks before, this fear can be especially strong: Panic Attacks at Christmas

All of these factors add up to experiencing anxious thoughts and feelings that can grow and spiral as you worry more and more.

 

How New Year Anxiety Can Affect You

New Year anxiety can impact upon:

• Sleep quality – disrupted sleep patterns
• Concentration – difficulty focusing and making decisions
• Confidence & self-esteem – increased self doubt and self criticism
• Emotional regulation – heightened anxiety, dread and worry
• Motivation and mood – low mood and difficulty getting things done

Sleep disruption is also very common during this period: December Sleep Anxiety

Anxiety can become an ongoing cycle. You experience anxious thoughts, feelings and behaviours. You also start to anticipate feeling anxious and you worry about how you’ll cope. This leads to more unwanted feelings, dread, worry and thinking the worst. You can start being harsh to yourself because you should be feeling better. And you dwell upon things and reflect negatively. It becomes an ever advancing pattern of feeling worse and worse.

 

How to Reduce Anxiety Before January Begins

In summary: preparing for January means calming anxious thoughts and feelings. Rather than forcing motivation or change, you calmly taking back control over your thinking, emotions and behaviours.

Here are some beneficial steps:

 

1. Lower expectations intentionally

You do not need life overhauling resolutions, massive goals or to get everything done all at once.

Take the pressure off so you feel calmer and can think more clearly. If you want to work on something, set small step goals and just focus on what needs to be done next.

 

2. Progress not perfection

You don’t suddenly have to have accomplished everything, and done it perfectly, just because another month has started. So many people set massive, unrealistic goals after Christmas, only to find that when normal routines restart they lose focus, feel they’ve failed and give up.

Instead of strict plans (and self criticism), choose one supportive routine or set one realistic intention. Focus on progress rather than perfection. You are allowed to review, adjust and alter things as you go along.

 

3. Calm your mind and body

To counter anxiety, you need to take time to interrupt anxious thoughts and to calm anxious feelings.

Anxiety lives in future imagined scenarios of what may happen. Grounding practices interrupt that pattern and bring you back to the here and now. I’ve covered some of them here: Mindfulness for Anxiety and Stress

For further support to calm your nervous system, download this free hypnosis audio: Rapid Relaxation Hypnosis Download 

 

4. Be mindful of alcohol

Alcohol seems to offer calmness and pleasant feelings. Initially it may ease your busy mind and calm your feelings. Yet it’s an illusion.

Alcohol can heighten anxiety and leave you starting the New Year feeling worse: Alcohol Anxiety: Why Drinking Can Increase Anxiety

 

5. Change doesn’t have to be immediate

January is not a deadline. It’s just a transition from one month to the next and one year to the next. January 1st is just another day. It’s only the mindset, expectation and messages that change. If you want to make positive changes, that’s great. But any change worth achieving involves a bit of time, energy and effort. Anxiety reduces when pressure reduces. Small steps and consistency are the key.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is New Year anxiety?
New Year anxiety refers to increased worry, restlessness or dread as routines restart in January after the festive break.

Why do people feel anxious around New Year?
It often comes from pressure to reset, return to work routines, and self-expectations, all of which can trigger anxiety.

How long does New Year anxiety last?
It varies, but it often peaks in late December / early January and reduces as routines stabilise and thoughts calm. If you struggle with anxiety then it may persist.

Can hypnotherapy help New Year anxiety?
Yes, hypnotherapy can reduce anticipatory anxiety, quieten overthinking, support confidence and calm emotions.

 

Can Hypnotherapy Help with New Year Anxiety?

Yes, hypnotherapy can help you to feel more calm, confident and in control.

You can:

• reduce anticipatory anxiety
• calm overthinking and thinking the worst
• improve sleep and feel calmer
• build confidence and self belief
• feel motivated to take positive action
• take back control over thoughts and feelings
• feel better and better in yourself

You move from dread, worry and fear to calm, confidence and control.

For personalised support to manage New Year anxiety and stress, explore Anxiety Hypnotherapy in Ely & Newmarket.

Anxiety can show up in many different ways, particularly during times of change. You can explore common anxiety experiences and how hypnotherapy can help on my anxiety support hub for Ely.

In short: New Year anxiety is a sign you are adjusting, not failing.

With the right help and support, January can become one of your favourite times of the year. Rather than overwhelm you’ll feel calm and balanced. Rather than negative thoughts, you’ll think clearly, make good decisions and encourage yourself.

For help to overcome anxiety, get in touch and take the first step with a free initial consultation.

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

Could you use some help with anxiety, worry and overthinking? Struggling with anxiety, stress, worry and fear and need some help? Find out how I can help with a Complimentary Anxiety Hypnotherapy Strategy Session. Learn more here: Appointments

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