Reflecting on the past year

The time between Christmas and New Year’s can feel like a floaty week for some. NPR’s Life Kit has tips for how to use this time to reflect on the past year.

ADRIAN MA, HOST:

For a lot of folks, the time around New Year’s is synonymous with parties and gathering with friends and family. But you know, New Year’s can also be a golden opportunity to seek out quiet and turn inwards – you know, to reflect at where you’re at and where you’re headed. And if this sounds pretty good to you, check this out. Kyle Norris with NPR’s Life Kit podcast brings us some tips on how to be reflective from a Buddhist teacher.

KYLE NORRIS, BYLINE: Lama Rod Owens’ website calls him a Black Buddhist southern queen. As part of his training, Owens spent three years mostly alone and in silence. So he’s intimate with spending time alone and reflecting. When mentally preparing for a new year, Owens says he does not like to say next year will be better.

ROD OWENS: But what I’m actually doing is saying that the next year will be different.

NORRIS: To take stock of the year and let it go. Owens likes to do an informal ceremony. He says you can do this at home, in a quiet place in the evening and light a candle.

OWENS: No matter how much we’re struggling to be well and content or happy or just how much we’re struggling to survive in general, like, there’s still light, and that light represents joy, gratitude and belonging.

NORRIS: Owens says, spend a few minutes focusing on the positive parts from the last year.

OWENS: What excited you? What got you going? What were you grateful for?

NORRIS: He says, anchor yourself in the things you’re grateful for, and this technique can be especially helpful if you had a tough year that you do not necessarily want to rehash. You’ll also want to make a space for acknowledging grief and disappointment from the past year.

OWENS: I’d like to just start reflecting on the things that have changed, the loss of experience,…