How to Bounce Back in 2023 After A Challenging Year

There is no “kleva” for adulting, we bear the brunt of phenomena like recessions, global wars, pandemics and all sorts of stressors that can have one look back at the year that’s fading with dissatisfaction.

The end of the year is understandably sometimes a time for reflection, looking at your mental list of the goals you achieved or even went for. It is not uncommon for most of us to be unhappy with the ratio of achieved goals vs those that weren’t. This done with a healthy frame of mind could be called self-correction or even constructive criticism of self. However, beating down on oneself for not having the year they thought they deserved or planned for, can stagnate the following year too.

Time markers like the beginning of a new year or a Monday are perfect for starting something new – a new attitude, a new hustle or even planting the first seeds in mending a fractured relationship.

Nobody is immune to a bad year so if you are one such person, take a look at the list below:

Give yourself the grace you give others

We save the sharpest venom for ourselves. Sometimes it is things that are completely out of our control that can derail a year or a target timeline. Sometimes the setback was a necessary occurrence for your ultimate goal. So be kind to yourself, you need yourself to face chapter 2023.

Live with the lessons the past not with the past itself

Negative experiences you had can actually be used for learning and future experiences, no matter how painful they are. Take some time to reflect on the experience and look at ways it can actually benefit you down the road.

You can learn from your experiences by reflecting on these few simple questions

What really happened? Answer only by confronting the facts.

What emotions do I feel? I personally like to write them down.

How can I use this to empower myself and my feelings?

Use this time to actually disconnect

Allow yourself to take some time away so that you can clear your head. You don’t have to go backpacking through Europe. Just remove yourself from the situation by distancing yourself from the people, places and things that remind you of the past.

Plan

You have a clue by now of some of the things that contributed to a dissatisfactory year, now plan this one — ensure to remove the ingredients that got in the way in the previous year. Set simple goals that are in 2s or 3s toward your goal. “I will walk a minimum of 4 times a week and I will work on my writing, 3 pages a day”. With this you have a simple digestible plan that makes consistency a little bit more attainable.

Execute

I speak for myself too when I say that we do have a tendency to plan ourselves into fear. Plan until the idea sounds ridiculous, plan until December 2023 again. Idea, formulate, execute! That is my motto for the following year. One of the many things you execute will eventually turn into something that will contribute to the future you want.

Bouncing back from a bad year is a non-negotiable, we can and you can do it. You are way more resilient than what you give yourself credit for. Move with your graceful confidence and let all that is for you come to you.