It’s the end of December – a time when people traditionally take stock of the past twelve months and look forward to think about their hopes, dreams and plans for the coming year.
When looking back, it’s often the personal, national and international losses, tragedies and disasters that most immediately spring to mind. It can take a little more effort to access our memories of the good times, the pleasant events and even the moments of pure joy that took our breath away. Researchers tell us that this is because we remember things that really impact us. What stands out the most are occurrences that are different, immensely significant, or that have strong emotions attached to them. In fact, sometimes we don’t even remember the exact details too clearly, but we can re-experience the feelings quite acutely.
I once heard a speaker at a conference refer to ‘invoking the pleasure principle’. He suggested we sit quietly and remember something we had particularly enjoyed – one of the good times, and bring it into our conscious mind very vividly and clearly, feeling it with all of our senses, as if we were actually there and it was happening right now. Then we were to take note of how our body felt – the relaxation, the happiness, the pleasure of the moment. He said that with practice we could return to those feelings when we needed to, to balance out the more unpleasant experience of pain, worry or anxiety.
As you review the year, I encourage you to identify the hard times and how they affected you - and then move on. Take stock of the strengths you drew on to get you through, and acknowledge your own ability and capability. Fully know that you possess deep resourcefulness and believe that you will also have the strength to face whatever else next year may bring.
Then consider the good times. Once again access your own ‘happy place’ and look forward to the coming year with hope, anticipation and an expectation of new happy memories to be made, and pleasant new experiences to relish and enjoy.
- When looking back over the past year, what memories are the strongest?
- What is your own 'happy place' like?
- What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?
