New Year Crisis: When the Turn of the Year Causes Anxiety

The turn of the year is a sensitizing moment for many. When the old year ends and a new one begins, it is natural to pause and evaluate life lived. But sometimes this self-examination becomes crushing, and New Year's resolutions begin to feel like a burden rather than inspiration.

Why Does the New Year Cause Anxiety?

Enormous cultural pressure has been built around the New Year. Social media fills with "new year, new me" posts, everyone seems to be setting big goals, and the past year is subjected to strong evaluations of successes and failures.

This can trigger many difficult feelings:

• Inadequacy: The feeling of not having achieved enough during the past year.
• Fear of the future: Uncertainty about what the new year will bring.
• Grief over lost time: Regrets and "what if" thoughts can intensify.
• Comparison: Others' successes and achievements seem to highlight one's own stagnation.
• Loneliness: The New Year's celebration tradition emphasizes being alone.

The Resolution Trap

New Year's resolutions are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they can provide motivation and direction. On the other, they often set unrealistic expectations and lead to feelings of failure when motivation runs out mid-January.

Most New Year's resolutions fade during the first months. Exact figures deserve caution — they vary a lot between studies and depending on how success is measured — but the pattern is familiar to everyone: enthusiasm drops once ordinary life resumes. This does not reflect your weakness, but rather that change is a complex process that rarely follows the calendar's schedule.

Instead of setting grand resolutions, try a gentler approach:

• Set values instead of goals: Think about what kind of life you want to live, rather than what you want to achieve.
• Small steps: One small change at a time is more sustainable than a major life overhaul.
• Be compassionate with yourself: Every day is a new opportunity. You do not need January 1st to start something new.

The New Year and Mental Health

If you already have mental health challenges, the turn of the year can be especially difficult. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues can worsen in the emptiness that follows the holiday season.

January is sometimes called the darkest month of the year, and for good reason. Returning to everyday life after Christmas, winter darkness, cold, and possible post-holiday financial difficulties together create a challenging combination.

How to Get Through the New Year

Accept your feelings: It is perfectly normal to feel wistfulness, sadness, or anxiety at the turn of the year. These feelings do not need to be hidden or be ashamed of.

Avoid comparison: Social media does not tell the real story of anyone's life. Comparing others' highlight reels to your own everyday life is unfair to yourself.

Create gentle rituals: Instead of celebrating traditionally, you can create your own quiet rituals for the turn of the year. Write down things you are grateful for. Light a candle. Read a good book.

Take care of basic needs: Sleep, nutrition, and exercise are especially important during mentally demanding times.

Reach out to loved ones: If loneliness weighs on you, bravely reach out to a friend or family member. Often just a short phone call can ease the feeling.

When to Seek Help

If New Year anxiety does not ease over the weeks or is so intense that coping with daily life is not possible, it is important to seek professional help. Especially if:

• The feeling of hopelessness is constant
• Nothing feels meaningful
• You have suicidal thoughts
• You cannot get out of bed or take care of basic things
• Substance use has increased

Therapy can provide a safe space to process these feelings and find ways to build a meaningful life without unreasonable demands on yourself.

Seeking Therapy

Psychotherapy costs typically range from 80 to 120 euros per session. Kela's rehabilitative psychotherapy is available for people aged 16–67, significantly reducing out-of-pocket costs. Brief therapy can also be a good option for treating seasonal anxiety.

The new year does not require anything special from you. It is enough that you exist: just as you are.

Where to find a therapist

You can look for a therapist in several places:

• Search services run by the Finnish Psychological Association (Psykologiliitto) and professional bodies.
• Kela's service provider search, if you are applying for rehabilitative psychotherapy (only Kela-approved therapists qualify for reimbursement).
• The Valitse Terapia service and other directories.
• Your own health centre, occupational health service or student health service (YTHS), which can refer you onward.

You can contact several therapists and see with whom the collaboration feels natural.

Get help in a crisis now

If you are having thoughts of self-harm or are otherwise in an acute crisis, you do not have to face it alone.

• In an emergency, call 112.
• MIELI Mental Health Finland crisis line: 09 2525 0113 (English and Arabic), 09 2525 0111 (Finnish), 09 2525 0112 (Swedish).
• For under-29s: Sekasin chat (sekasin.fi).

Help is available anonymously, and you do not need to be sure your situation is serious enough.

Sources

• MIELI Mental Health Finland
• Mielenterveystalo: Self-help programmes
• MIELI: Crisis helpline