Another Year, A New You

As 2019 comes to a close, you can look back on the changes you have made in your life. Every day that you have lived sober and mentally healthy is a testament to how amazing you are. You are actively choosing, every day, to be a better person, to live a better life, and to be an example to everyone around you. Maybe 2019 was just another year, but you are celebrating the new year with a new you.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we forget to look in the mirror and give ourselves credit. Go ahead, look in that mirror and give yourself your acceptance speech for the Oscar for the Best Personal Advocate in a Leading Role. You deserve it. You stepped up, did the work, and day by day you got from there to here. Only you can truly know what that means for your life, but don’t forget to acknowledge it, you deserve it.

If you’ve struggled or slipped up, then you should probably have another acceptance speech ready, because you are still here, still working to be your best you. That takes so much courage and commitment. Never judge your life by your failures, only by your commitment to keep trying.

Changing Your Story

You started out struggling with mental health and/or addiction, and you turned that into your superpower of mental health. You took something that was a problem and turned it into a strength. That is never easy to do.

You changed your story 180 degrees, and now you are on the path to long term health and happiness. Some people struggle to ever do that in their lifetimes, yet you already did it. As you continue to work and practice all of your new skills and habits, you can look back to where you started and realize how much you have changed your life in such a short time.

Now you have the chance for more success in school, at work, and in life. Sure, it will be hard at times. But your ability to react to what life throws at you has improved so much. Now you’ve got this, you’ve got it under control, and it shows. You re-wrote the script for your life, and you are the only one who can change it now.

Learning New Skills

You should congratulate yourself for learning new skills. Learning how to be mindful, how to manage your stress, how to manage your emotions, and especially how to communicate. These skills are advanced life skills that have given you the power to take back your life and become a new person.

With your new skills, you have learned not only how to survive with mental illness or addiction, but how to thrive in life. You showed a willingness to work for mental health, and now you are keeping that promise to yourself by living each day to demonstrate the new you. This can be a lifelong process that keeps growing your possibilities exponentially. What you started in treatment is now your life, every day. Even when there are setbacks, you always have your new skills to fall back on and get back up again. 

Improved Relationships

Along with new communication skills comes improved relationships. With new eyes and new ways to effectively communicate, you have the power to transform any relationship. Even if the other person is not as empowered as you, your efforts will change the way you view and interact with them, which in turn will impact that relationship.

Your family is more aware of the transformation that you have made. Hopefully, they will be invoking their new skills, too. The opportunities here for your relationships are endless. You have the chance for healing and growth that none of you would have ever thought possible until now. This is credit to you, for jumping in, doing the work, and staying committed to your life. 

Celebrating Growth

As you look back at this year, take some time to really give yourself credit for what you have done. Think about where you were, how you were living, and what you had done so far in your life. Think about your relationships, especially with family, and how you communicated in those relationships.

Now look around and see where you are now. Look at how much you have changed. Look at how much work it took to get you from where you were to where you are now. Not just anyone can pull off that kind of a transformation. But you did it. You may have had some support and help, sure, but it wouldn’t have happened without you. Your commitment to your life is what made the change, and you deserve the credit.

As we look to a new year, look at the new you. Celebrate all of the work you did to get here, and all of the work you are still doing. Take this opportunity to give yourself the credit you deserve. And as you do that, look to your future and see where you are headed now that you have changed the course of your life. This new year, celebrate you. And prepare for an even better you next year.

Make this year even better than this past year. Remember what you learned, remember the value of you. Embark Behavioral Health can be a reference point of mental health for you. For questions call 1-855-809-0409.