Happy New Year TRIP!sters!!!!
For some, the coming of a new year signifies partying hard, staying up all night chatting with friends new and old and watching the sun rise as you remember the good and bad times that the previous year irrevocably handed you. For others, the new year signifies a time for reflection, particularly when you realize that certain parts of your life are going to change wether it be simply growing up, becoming a new parent, getting a new job (or accomplishing more at one you’re at ) starting school ( or trying to stay in school ) or dealing with disease.
Mental health is as important as physical health and can even have a direct affect on your physical health. Consuming any substance will have an affect on your over all health so it is crucial that you keep in check with your consumption and take the time to ask yourself questions concerning your use.
These can be:
- Am I using more lately?
- Have I been spending a larger sum of my income on using?
- Am I feeling more anxious then usual?
- Has my consumption interfered with things I am trying to accomplish?
- Is it becoming harder to say no to drugs and alcohol even when I know that it will affect my performance in the near future?
- Have I been tired lately from lack of sufficient sleep? How has this affected my performance?
- Has this resulted in negative feelings about myself and a lack of self-esteem?
- Have I lost touch with past hobbies that I enjoyed?
- Have I missed important appointments with doctors or counselors?
By taking a look at your consumption patterns you can learn a lot about yourself and start to make decisions that benefit you the most in the long term. Remember, setting out goals can help with the decisions you want to make for yourself! Little steps at first can make a huge difference in the end that can help you get to where you’re going. Dealing with anxiety, depression and nervousness or plain old fatigue brought on from consumption can make it hard to accomplish certain tasks and discourage from pursuing your dreams head on and dealing with your responsibilities. Taking breaks between use and reflecting once the party has come to an end will boost your health and help you be all you can be!
For more info on making healthier harm reduction resolutions, check out our Safer Partying section!