A New Year, A New Approach – a 1 1/2-minute video with Mary Beth Luedtke
Start 2025 with purpose and intention. At BEing There Counseling, we go beyond helping you cope with challenges—we teach you tangible emotional skills to build confidence, face fears, and create the life you truly want.
Why 2024 Was Tough
“Wow, 2024 was a tough year.” It’s a refrain many of us have heard—or said—recently. But what made it challenging? For some it was the headlines, for others there were personal struggles, and for many 2024 provided experiences that tested our resilience in unexpected ways.
Uncertainty as a Stressor
From economic fluctuations to global conflicts and natural disasters, uncertainty was a consistent feature of 2024. Research shows that uncertainty heightens our stress response. A study published in Nature Communications reveals that our perception of uncertainty significantly impacts both subjective stress experiences and physiological stress responses, such as heart rate or cortisol levels. This “uncertainty stress” can impact us in unexpected ways and make even routine decisions stressful.
The Weight of Personal Changes
Fatigue and Burnout
Burnout was another defining feature of 2024. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout as chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. In 2024, this stress extended to every facet of life. The APA’s Work in America survey highlights that 77% of workers reported experiencing work-related stress in the last month, indicating the pervasive nature of burnout.
Building Resilience: A New Approach to A New Year
The good news? Tough years don’t have to define us. Skills like emotional willingness, self-awareness, and values-based decision-making help us weather any storm.
At BEing There Counseling, we teach you how to shift from surviving to thriving. Because no matter how tough the year has been, the emotional skills you develop in therapy can put you on a path to a better future.
References
- Moutoussis, M., Williams, J., Dayan, P., & Dolan, R. J. (2016). A neural signature of the subjective experience of emotional valence. Nature Communications, 7, 10996. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10996
- American Psychological Association. (2023). Stress in America™ 2023: A nation recovering from collective trauma. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2023/collective-trauma-recovery
- American Psychological Association. (2023). Work in America Survey: Workplace health and well-being. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-in-america/2023-workplace-health-well-being
Get Started With A New Approach To The New Year!
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Mary Beth Luedtke
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