New Year’s Resource Alert: YearCompass
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash
I try to get smart, thoughtful blog posts out on a regular basis, but I wanted to send out something simple that's been a huge resource to me and that I've recommended to lots of clients- YearCompass. YearCompass is a small, free, printable workbook taking you through a structured reflection on the year past and exploring expectations and hopes for the coming year.
There's obviously nothing magical that happens when the clock hits midnight and the new calendar year comes into play. But I think it's incredibly helpful to take advantage of this time- where so many of us have a little less structure, if not more downtime, where the calendar year is closing out and the ads start pushing fitness equipment and poorly managed online therapy services to capitalize on the natural "New Year, New Me" vibes that are kicking around.
Thinking of what you might want to achieve or become is, in my opinion, only half the battle. There's so much lost when we also fail to recognize what we've learned, overcome, and maybe struggled with in the past- and get ourselves to a place where it feels possible to "let go" of those things, if only aspirationally.
I've been doing YearCompass for a while- at least eight years! I invariably sit down to write it with a healthy dose of cynicism, assuming I already "know" what happened in the past year and what might be coming down the pike. And I'm always surprised by what I uncover when I actually do it.
A few tips that aren't included in their guidance:
I usually do it over the course of a few days- usually Dec 30-31 for the past year and Jan 1-2 for the new year. You can structure it however you like.
You don't necessarily have to answer every question, but pay close attention to the questions you *want* to skip- are they truly not relevant to your life, or do you just not want them to be relevant?
It's awesome to do with a partner. I suggest setting aside time afterward to chat about what came up, with one ground rule: you don't have to share anything you don't feel like, and you *absolutely* aren't looking at each other's books. Same rules apply if you do the process with friends!
This might be obvious, since you're reading a therapist's blog, but: take your reflections into your therapy. It might just supercharge the work.
No, they didn’t ask me to write about this and I don’t get any kind of kickbacks. I have just recommended this a bunch to my clients and figured it’d be helpful for more folks out there. And it’s worth noting that I don’t believe YearCompass is written by professional mental health clinicians. Writing in any kind of workbook isn’t therapy, but it can be a helpful add-on to the therapy process.
