Real Talk: Mental Health By Kelly Williams, LMFT The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at VVSD, San Diego www.vvsd.net/cohenclinics
Saying Goodbye to 2023: Make Your List …and Check it Twice!
that you want to rid yourself of or a trying time that you need to let go of. b. Play through your music list from the year (Spotify, for example, will share your most played music) and dance it out. 3. Write a goodbye letter: a. Goodbye to the “2023 you.” Check out our November “Letter to Self” column as an example. This process can be a humbling and reflective way to say goodbye to an older version of yourself. b. Goodbye to relationships that no longer serve you. Writing out the way a relationship has caused you stress or harm and why you need to say goodbye can help organize thoughts and give yourself permission to move on from the situation.
2024 We often think of welcoming the new year by setting new goals or expectations to make changes in our lives. We can welcome changes by saying “goodbye” to some things in our life, as well. It is a common tradition to start spring cleaning in April. However, maybe we could stand to do a different type of cleaning this December. We have created a list of seven ways to say goodbye to the past year as we welcome our 2024: 1. Set a timer for 20 minutes, and… a. Journal or voice record things that you are holding on to that happened this year. Complete this activity 2-3x to ensure that you have created an exhaustive list that is truly representative of your year. b. Look through old emails and texts that no longer serve you and delete!
i. You don’t necessarily have to say goodbye to the person, but goodbye to your attachments to the interactions with them that caused you pain. c. Goodbye to loved ones lost with one more conversation. I am sending you my dearest condolences for the loved one that died. If you have ever hoped that you could have one more chance to talk to them before they passed, why not give yourself that chance now? Write a letter to them, with everything you miss saying in person or what you wish you had said more. Cleanse yourself of the weight of the “should-of’s could-of’s” 4. De-clutter: a. Literally say goodbye to and purge all of the objects, clothes, and accessories that you haven’t used all year. b. This is a great season to donate coats that no longer fit. c. Give away gently used toys or gift worthy items so that someone else can give to someone they love.
2. Shake it off:
5. Say goodbye to practices that you have forced yourself to do that you have maintained by habit versus interest:
a. Actually, wipe your body off like you are wiping sand off of your clothes. The symbolic nature of clearing your body can help relieve tension from a bad interaction
a. Instead of going to five different houses on each holiday, pick one place that really makes you feel special or that brings the most joy.
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WWW.HomelandMagazine.com / December 2023