The end of the year can bring with it existential feelings. This is a good time of year to lean into existentialism and explore those meanings, and uncover what is valuable to you.
Confronting existentialism
The holidays, and particularly the end of the calendar year, can make us especially aware of the passing of time. It’s not uncommon to look back on the past year and feel disappointment at all the things you didn’t accomplish the past year, and to feel like everyone else is moving on while you still haven’t caught up. The new year can bring on deep, existential feelings that we not think about when we’re busy with our daily lives in April or in June.
It can be easy to feel alone, or to think that no one else feels that way. However, there may be a reason why so many cultures around the world put major holidays in the winter season. It may be, in part, because we need something to distract ourselves during the depths of dark and winter, but it might also be that this time of year is a great time to reflect and explore existential meaning.
A time for reflection and exploration
The winter holiday season can be a great time for reflection and introspection. This is a time of year to explore the meanings of existential challenges, including death and what is meaningful to us.
This might look like journaling or rituals of internal solitude.
If you are spiritual, this is a great time to re-explore those spiritual meanings for you in your religious background. If you’re not a spiritual person, it is a great time of year to be welcomed into a church, or synagogue, or any religious establishment. Although they can feel closed off to outsiders, this is a time of year when strangers and old friends are often welcomed back.
Ketamine treatment may be helpful for developing a compassionate inner vision. Many patients will set intentions during their infusions around the new year for growth and progress and to consider what that will look like for them in the new year.
Understand that you are not alone in your existential feelings, and that there are established pathways you can follow to explore those ideas. Use the winter season to lean into your values and what you want to create for yourself in the new year. Although winter can be a dark and melancholy season, it can also be a season of new beginnings.
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Wells Medicine is a Houston-based practice designed to provide meaningful care for mental health. Providing targeted interventional treatments for Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD and other conditions, with Ketamine Treatments, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, TMS, and Nitrous-Oxide Treatments. Focused on comprehensive care and integration with Psychiatry, Psychology, and Support Services. We are evidence-based, patient-focused and mission-driven.
The content here is for informational purposes and should not be relied upon for medical decisions. For the details of your specific medical conditions and treatments consult your doctors or other qualified healthcare professionals.
