One of the most famous signs says: «As you meet the New Year, so you will spend it.» How did this idea come about and is it worth believing folk wisdom?
In this formula, it is not difficult to hear the echoes of the magic of similarity1: May all the following days be like this one. If it was full of gaiety, abundance, and pleasure, we may well agree.
But if something went wrong — someone fell ill, an appointment did not take place, a quarrel occurred, it turned out to be boring in the company or there was no company — then the thought that now everything will go on like this will not please. What to do?
“If it’s a matter of chance, you don’t have to worry: it’s unlikely that a case over which we have no control will be repeated for the next 364 days,” Evgeny Tumilo, a Gestalt therapist, reassures. — But if this is the result of your past actions, it is worth considering: are you going the right way? Sadness or dissatisfaction can indicate what is valuable to you and what you lacked this time, and thus push for change.
Along with the tradition of celebrating the New Year, we also inherited the idea of how to do it “correctly”
Maybe we start saving money for a trip, we want to change jobs or find a new company …
Also, in anticipation of the New Year, we sometimes fall into a childish state: we expect that they will give us not only gifts, but also the holiday itself, and even better — a miracle. And we get frustrated when it doesn’t.
“Loving parents arrange a holiday for a child. Being an adult means becoming such a loving parent to yourself,” emphasizes the Gestalt therapist. We can think in advance about what we will like and how to organize it.
Along with the tradition of celebrating the New Year, we also inherited the idea of how to do it “correctly”: in a friendly or family circle, with champagne, Olivier salad and chimes. Noisy and bright.
But there are those who celebrate differently or do not celebrate at all. Close friends will understand, and acquaintances and relatives sometimes condemn: maybe something is wrong with you, since you don’t like what everyone likes?
“We humans are all different! Evgeny Tumilo disagrees. — For some, a holiday is a lively feast, for others — to finally get some sleep. Try to honestly answer yourself the question: how do I want to celebrate the New Year? Not because others do it, but because that is how I will be glad and happy.”
Date-related omens help gain extra motivation and the promise of success.
The New Year and the holidays following it provide an opportunity to rest, relax, focus on yourself and take stock of the past year. Decide if everything suits us or if changes are required.
Of course, finding a new hobby, exercising, or drastically changing your life is possible any day of the year, but we like to start “from Monday” or “from the New Year”. And this makes sense.
“This is how we structure the chaos of possibilities in life. The problem of choice always generates anxiety, the Gestalt therapist notes, “and tying your plans to a specific date is an easy way to reduce this anxiety.”
Date-related omens, which are culturally ingrained rules, provide additional motivation and the promise of success.
1 More: James George Fraser «The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion» (EXMO, 2006).