New Years Thoughts

Have a happy and safe new years!

New Years has always felt strange to me, I don’t know why. Maybe it’s my distaste for change or the way I mourn moments that are fleeting. There is all this pressure to do something great to ring in the new year and celebrate, but all I usually feel is emptiness. I am afraid for the future and what next year will hold. I feel a sense of exhaustion for all the work in the coming year. Additionally, I have seasonal depression which probably doesn’t help. My family also hosts on Christmas, and it feels as though all my energy goes towards that holiday. By new year’s I’m always tired and full of anxiety for what the following year holds.

New Years Day by Taylor Swift often encapsulates some of the emotions I feel regarding new years

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I also think I hate this idea of a false fresh start- as if everything will change suddenly when it becomes January 1st. I guess a fresh start feels good for some people, but it has always felt fake to me as I know change takes time and effort. At the beginning of each year however, I do like to make a list of goals I wish to accomplish in the coming year. Usually these are goals I know will take time but can be accomplished in a year. Often these goals are writing related, hobby related, or career related. I try and only do a few in order to keep myself focused and not overwhelm myself. But every New Years, I still find myself filled with dread, like at the beginning of a semester seeing the whole timeline laid out in front of me.

All different cultures celebrate New Years differently. Not even every culture celebrates the coming of the new year at the same time or the same way. In Europe, many eat greens such as cabbage to promote prosperity in the coming year. In Asia, many foods such as dumplings and rice cakes are made with ingredients which symbolize good fortune in the coming year. In America, I’ve always associated New Years with watching the infamous ball drop on TV in New York City and seeing fireworks. Most cultures use the lunar calendar or various types of the lunisolar calendar to determine when the new year begins. Chinese new year’s usually falls between end of January and end of February. Historically, there have been many other dates when people began celebrating the coming of the new year. For example, in the middle ages in western Europe, New Years was often celebrated in March due to a different calendar system being used. However, January 1st has become the universal standard as time has gone on.

my friends and I this new years

I’ve been told I put too much pressure on New Years. This year I had dinner with friends on New Year’s Eve and had a more relaxing New Years day. I did not apply the same pressure to be at a loud explosive new year’s party, bar, or to do something crazy exciting. And it was nice, one of the best New Years I’ve had in a while. I’m hoping this means I’ll be able to be kinder to myself this coming year as I continue to work towards my goals.

my boyfriend and I this new years

Works Cited:

“New Year Festival | Definition, History, Traditions, & Facts | Britannica.” Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/New-Year-festival. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.