The new year is a beginning but…

Yesterday, I was feeling melancholy. Some of it may have been the emotional pendulum swing from the hope and gratitude I’d cultivated on New Year’s Eve for all the good that came my way in 2018. But some of it was this. The new year is a beginning, sure, but it’s also an ending. It is ok to be sad about that. It’s the end of the year P was an infant. It’s the end of the year I last saw my Great Aunt Marian. It’s the end of the year I hoped for some things to happen that just didn’t happen. I feel sadness and grief to be farther away from each of these things. ⁣

And you know what? Sadness is normal. Grief is normal. I am trying to give them the space they need so they don’t have to take the space away from something else.⁣

The new year is a beginning but also an ending its ok to be sad about that

Published by Emily P.G. Erickson

Emily P.G. Erickson is a freelance writer specializing in mental health and parenting. She has written for popular digital publications, including Everyday Health, Health, The New York Times, Parents, Romper, WIRED, and more. Emily is a professional member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ). Previously, Emily researched PTSD for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and earned a master's in psychology. You can find the latest from Emily at www.emilypgerickson.com.

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