New Year’s Emotional Evaluation
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When a new year begins, many of us naturally start taking stock of what we want to change. Our minds often go first to the visible and familiar parts of life like our weight, energy level, or appearance, and we then focus on external habits and routines. Our emotional life, though, is just as important, even if it may receive less attention.
The Impact of Emotions
From a psychological perspective, our emotional wellbeing touches nearly every part of daily life. Our emotions influence how we think, how we relate to others, and how we make decisions from the moment we wake up until we fall asleep. Chronic emotional distress can even affect our physical health by raising blood pressure when anger goes unchecked, weakening immune functioning during prolonged depression, and draining energy when anxiety becomes constant. It also impacts how clearly we think, how well we focus, and how effectively we plan for the future.
Looking Backward
A successful emotional evaluation begins with looking backward. Over the past year, you have likely experienced a wide range of emotions in response to changing circumstances. Positive emotions such as enjoyment, satisfaction, connection, or calm are as important to notice as difficult emotions like fear, anger, sadness, disappointment, or loneliness. Both provide information about what matters to you, what was stressful, and what was life-giving.
As you look back, it may help to notice the full emotional range of the year. Where did you feel peace, joy, connection, or gratitude? How about the last time you felt understood or appreciated? Also, where did you feel fear, anger, sadness, disappointment, or loneliness? These inner experiences shape our lives just as powerfully as anything we can see from the outside. God designed us with emotional lives that matter deeply. Scripture tells us that He gives us hearts capable of love, strength, courage, joy, and peace – not just fear or helplessness (2 Timothy 1:7; Isaiah 41:10; Proverbs 17:22; Philippians 4:7). At the same time, the Bible is remarkably honest about the reality that God’s people struggle emotionally. Fear, grief, anger, and sorrow appear throughout Scripture – not as moral failures, but as human experiences in a broken world.
Checking for Patterns
Along with the emotions themselves, emotional patterns matter. Some emotions may have shown up briefly and passed, while others may have lingered or repeated themselves. Fear may have pushed you into making a less desired choice. Anger may have lingered too long in particular relationships. Sadness or disappointment may have followed certain losses or unmet hopes. Loneliness may have been present even in busy seasons. Paying attention to these patterns offers valuable information about needs, limits, and areas for growth.
Noticing Positives
Importantly, emotional reflection also includes noticing what sustained you. What experiences brought a sense of stability or renewal? Which relationships felt safe or supportive? When did you feel most aligned with your values? These moments are not incidental. Rather, they point toward what contributes to emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
The Evaluation
As you reflect, consider these questions:
What emotions showed up most frequently for me this past year?
In what situations did I feel most at peace or most distressed?
Are there emotional patterns I notice in my relationships, work, or family life?
What helped me cope well when things were difficult?
What intentions might support greater emotional balance and connection this year?
Setting Informed Goals
When your initial emotional evaluation is done, it is time to make some goals for implementing change. Rather than simply trying to control emotions, a sustainable approach to implementing change is by setting intentions rooted in awareness. For example, you may have noticed that last year had many periods of worry and overwhelm when around family, so you may consider setting an intention of communicating you need a short break rather than pushing through only to feel worn out and frustrated. Scripture consistently invites honest self-examination in the presence of a God who already knows us fully. From a psychological perspective, meaningful change begins with clarity, not self-criticism.
The goal of this evaluation is not to label emotions as good or bad, but to notice them honestly and respond thoughtfully. Emotional well-being is not about eliminating discomfort. Rather, it is about learning how to engage life with greater awareness, flexibility, and trust as the year ahead unfolds.