What’s To Celebrate About Another Year?

Written by Dr. Polly Cooper Brown

This article is courtesy of Mature Living.

Question: I am not one of those people who looks forward to celebrating the beginning of another year. Though I try to stay busy with activities, my life has little meaning. At the end of the day I often ask myself, “What’s the point?” What I do does not mean anything to anybody. What’s to celebrate about another year of nothing?

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Answer: Holidays are times of wonderful celebration, but they can also be times of sadness for some of us. Somehow the holidays bring our disappointments into sharper focus and we may allow those disappointments to overshadow everything else about the season. It sounds like that is what has happened to you.

Often we feel our lives have lost meaning when we experience some great loss. When someone or something that has given meaning to life in the past is no longer available, we can lose a sense of purpose. Could that be what has happened to you? If so, you may need to examine and deal with your loss in some new ways. Grief recovery groups are usually focused on recovery from the death of someone important to us, but the principles apply to other kinds of losses. You might need to seek out this kind of information.

Illness, both physical and emotional, may be possible causes for loss of hope and joy. Perhaps you need to make an appointment with a physician. Although you may not feel sick, it could be that there is a body system that is not working well. Sometimes relatively minor treatments can restore vitality.

Tell your physician how you feel about the value of the life you live and your despondency about the future. The depression you appear to be experiencing may be severe enough that medication will be considered. Please don’t be reluctant to accept medication if it is recommended. Antidepressants can be as necessary as antibiotics for maintaining health and well-being.

Studies have repeatedly shown that medication combined with counseling results in the greatest relief of depressive symptoms. Your physician can help you locate a professional counselor who is skilled in these areas. You may want to consider community counseling services, which are often available at a reduced fee.

Another area to explore is your spiritual health. Some counselors are prepared to assist you with this, but it may be that you should talk candidly with a minister about the way you are feeling about your life. Perhaps your relationship with the Lord is based on some misunderstandings. Learning and meditating on clear biblical truths about who God is, who you are, and the kind of relationship you can have with Him will often bring sunshine into a dark future.

These suggestions are all based on a decision that only you can make. They, like your present life, are meaningless until you decide to do something that will help you find new meaning for your life in this new year.

Dr. Polly Cooper Brown is a retired psychologist now residing in Hot Springs Village, Ark.