How to Not Be Depressed on New Year's Eve

Edited by JustLikeMason, Wingrider, Smartistic, Flickety and 6 others


New Year's Eve is a time of partying, of celebrating accomplishments made in the soon-to-be-gone year, and for making toasts and resolutions for the upcoming three hundred sixty five days. However, New Year's Eve can also be a sad time – some people may not have achieved their resolutions from the previous New Year's Eve, the year might not have been a good one for a variety of reasons, or even the day of New Year's Eve might not be the best it could have been.

Here are some tips to help you make the most out of your New Year's Eve celebration and to alleviate any sense of depression about the occasion.

Steps

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   Isolate the problem that is wearing you down. Reflect. Think about why you're feeling down on such a fine day of general celebration. Are you feeling down because you are pondering a year of disappointments? Are there resolutions you feel that you have failed to complete, perhaps year after year even? Or was the day simply a bad one and you're not feeling up to celebrating this evening?
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   Solve the problem that you've identified. Once you're aware of the problem at hand, you're better placed to make a positive change. Write a brief list of the things that you think you can do in the coming year to remedy the problems identified.
   • If you're feeling down on New Year's Eve because you didn't complete your resolution or resolutions, make that same resolution for the upcoming year. There are no rules when you're taking control of your life. Give yourself another chance. The best kind of forgiveness is self forgiveness and this is the perfect time of year for it.
   • If you're feeling down on New Years' Eve because you feel the year that's coming to an end wasn't a good one, then learn from the mistakes made and put them to action in the upcoming year. Or, if it wasn't a good year because terrible things happened, be kind to yourself and reflect on what you have learned about your own resilience and ability to cope with the worst, and promise yourself that the following year will see improvements. Make a determination to make the upcoming year better than the last.
   • If you're feeling down simply because your day was not a good one, draw a line in the sand between the hours that have just past and the hours you're about to enter. Bad ones behind you. Good ones in front for the rest of the night!
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   Find a quiet space for a New Year's Eve ritual. It's a good idea to add a sense of ritual and gravity your New Year's resolutions as part of the process of "sealing the deal" with yourself. It creates a moment to think back on over the coming year and it presents a turning point at which you choose to move forward. It doesn't matter where you hold your ritual, or the type of ritual you choose, provided it has meaning for you and involves actively acknowledging your resolutions. Some ideas include:
   • Throw away last year's uncompleted resolutions. Perhaps write them down, tear them up, and throw them over a cliff or burn them.
   • Write this coming year's resolutions and bless them in some way. Place them somewhere prominently to remind you of what's to come rather than what has been.
   • Light lanterns and set them afloat on water as a way of sending your hopes out into the world.
   • Sit somewhere quietly in a favorite spot for a few minutes to contemplate your future direction and perhaps say, chant, or call out your resolutions to the sky, to God, to the world, to whomever or whatever you wish to hear your soulful request.
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   Take your mind off it. Relax. Celebrate. Have fun! It's important to allow yourself to be distracted from your negative thoughts and to revel in the spirit of New Year's Eve instead.
   • Don't spend New Year's Eve alone; instead, celebrate with your friends and/or loved ones. If there is nobody close to you (if you're traveling or living away from home, etc.), at least go out and join the crowd of revelers to be with people who are having a happy time.
   • Go to a New Year's Eve party or gather some people and countdown the final moments of the year with some snacks and good music.
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   Start off on the right foot. Smile. Nothing is better than starting the new year with something that makes you happy. Whip up your favorite meal, listen to your favorite song, watch a great movie, and things of that nature. Avoid the melancholy music and avoid the alcohol if you're feeling down; neither will improve your mood. Look to what makes you feel happier and indulge yourself. The first day of the new year is a chance to strive again.
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Tips

• Remember: Keep a positive mental attitude, don't let the little things get to you, and make the new year something worth remembering. Life is too short for regrets–make the most of it!