The new year can be a perplexing new time for many of us. It is a new start, a new beginning for our lives. We are afraid of the unknown and are not certain of what is to come. Sometimes, we need a little extra push to convince us that the New Year won't be as overwhelming as we think it might be.

We may already be dealing with issues in our families, friendships, relationships, or anywhere inside our social circle which may lead us to feel a sense of fear for the next chapter that will be starting in a couple days. Some of us may seek and find the unexpected and lack of knowing to be thrilling while some of us may be dreading it with our lives.

However, it is better to be prepared for what will happen rather than to stay blindly afoot where we are at. As exciting as the New Year may seem to us, it can be just as scary and mysterious. Especially given the pandemic that still exists, it may bring on new worries and challenges for many of us.

A good way to start mapping out how to go about the "stressful" New Year is to make a list of pros and cons for the New Year. What are some things you positively expect or see coming your way? What are things you are worried about. Making a list or a chart may be helpful in making sure one feels ready when the storms come:

Focus on the "Hows" rather than the "Whys"- It is hard to not think pessimistically if we already feel stressed. However, thinking about "how this happened and how to avoid it," may help our grueling mentality more than just a simple "why did this happen or why should I avoid it?" Instead of feeling helpless in the negative things that have happened or are to possibly happen, it is better to figure out a way to best navigate out of it or at least brainstorm a way. It is one thing to already know that something happened but it is something else to try to get ourselves out of the clutter we may find ourselves in.

Figure out Why What is Making Us Worried- Sometimes, we don't know why we are worried in the first place. Anxiety is always a mystery. But to minimize stress and worries for the New Year, it may help to actually uncover what made us anxious. Most of us expect a peaceful start to the New Year. We don't want to go into the New Year feeling an overwhelming sense of worry. Especially if we might not even know what may be causing that worry in the first place.

Make or Purchase a 2021 Calendar with Notes- Organization is key to many aspects of our lives. This is one of the ways that staying organized can help us better prepare for any mishaps that we might see coming in 2021. It may help with purchasing a calendar where we can mark down specific dates to pay attention to, such as a family member or a friend's birthday (whom we might not get along with or recently have had a falling out with). Just making simple Post It notes and sticking them on our desks in our rooms to remind us to do certain things along the way. It would help to get creative and maybe color code the Post It notes to order the level of stress we feel from what is written down on each one.

The New Year can be stressful, but also a memorable one if we know how to manage and minimize our stress. What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger and more ready to tackle the obstacles of 2021.