Author: Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst

OPPORTUNITY

Breath, Bravery, and the Joy of Reaching Higher

Opportunity isn’t just a word—it’s a launchpad. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how moments of risk and wonder shape emotional growth, and how childhood adventures remind us to climb, breathe, and believe.

This is a marvelous word. Take a moment and pronounce it aloud. You must push air out of your mouth to create the sound. Think about that. Here is a word with real potential and as you say it you are pushing air out between your lips. The air just explodes! Isn’t that what you want when you are facing a new challenge? You want to explode and jettison yourself forward to take advantage of new space or a new time.

What have been your opportunities to explode? I mean this in a good way, please. I love it when small children explode with joy or excitement. I bet you have a favorite memory of watching this happen. I remember the ice skates for Christmas when I was about 10 years old. Everyone in the family got ice skates and we lived close enough to the reservoir to use them on a regular basis. That is one winter that we were all praying for freezing temperatures. Skating on the ice is such a joyous experience. We were not Hans Brinker, but our blades were silver!

Children understand “opportunity” in ways that adults never do. There is a tree in the backyard that just begs to be climbed. Fir trees—even though sticky and prickly—are clearly designed for this. You can walk up the branches until you reach the top. The question is “Can you walk back down?” The answer is “generally not.” You should not have been there in the first place so that is one level of panic. You can see about a mile in the distance and that is another level of panic. Your fingers and toes are sticky from the sap and that is disgusting. Ok. You know you should not have done that, but it was so inviting and so easy. Then you look down.

You are about seventy-five feet off the ground. Your hands, feet and other parts of your body are sticky and gooey, and you clearly are no longer comfortable. Somehow the process of going up, headfirst and just grabbing one limb after another was easy. But let us face it, you do not have eyes in your butt. Going down will not be the same. What if you miss a limb? What if you slip? What if your gooey hands get stuck and throw you off balance? What if your foot misses a limb? Time to call for help.

Fortunately, your father has a two-story ladder and a steady countenance. As he climbs carefully up to you, he is calm and reassuring and admiring your success. He asks what you can see from there because he has never been to the top of the fir tree. You struggle to answer that question because you are focused on looking down, down, down, and not out. Then, he is there, and you are on the ladder. Breathe. One rung at a time, lower, lower, lower until the solid ground appears.

As you take in a deep breath and push it out, your muscles relax, and you remember the opportunity to climb to the top and reach for the sky and experience the landscape from more than seventy feet above the ground. The scene was glorious. You are an adventurer. And you are safe.

Want to explore how opportunity fuels emotional growth and resilience? Visit Psychology Today’s guide to emotional healing and growth, NeuroLaunch’s overview of emotional development, and Raising Families’ windows of opportunity in childhood.

If you’re reflecting on risk, resilience, or emotional expansion, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and personal transformation.

ETC. &C,

Lists, Language, and the Ritual of Renewal

Et cetera—and so much more. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how shorthand symbols like “etc.” and “&c,” mirror our emotional shorthand, and how the New Year invites us to expand, revise, and reimagine our lists.

Are you familiar with these abbreviations? I am sure the first one is very familiar, and the second means the same. The second is just an older version. Etc. stands for et cetera, which means “and other similar things.” We use this abbreviation to indicate that the list we are making has other members, and they are too numerous to enumerate. This is a shorthand. If the reader wishes to find other members on the same list, they can seek them out for themselves.

What are you seeking? What lists are you making? What lists are you sending to others? What lists are coming to you?

At this time, when we begin a new year, everyone tends to focus on lists. Some are making lists for the future. Some are making lists of accomplishments from the past. A few are making lists of things to avoid moving forward. Your lists may be physical things that you put in a journal. Perhaps you have kept a record of your ideas for the beginning of the new year for decades. Or you may have one or two that have become good family stories. Those are the best. Remember the time…

We treat the new year as a time of respect by rethinking and starting over. Of course, we could choose any time of the year to begin something new or make resolutions, yet we tend to cram all of these into early January. How many of you have resolved to treat your body better? You promise to lose weight, or you spend the month of January with no alcohol. How did that work out?

Change is hard. Change requires support. We publish these resolutions to get the support we need to fulfill them. My New Year’s resolution is to return to a book I have been writing about the emotional development of boys and men. I want to confront how we raise boys and help people take a closer look at their own parenting and teaching of boys. I want to engage men in understanding why emotional expression seems so difficult. I want families to try new things as they parent their boys. I want organizations like schools, scouts, and sports activities to consider how they relate to boys and make some critical changes.

And, etc.

Want to explore meaningful New Year’s resolutions and how to make them stick? Visit The Everygirl’s list of realistic resolutions, Bright Color Mom’s 100 ideas for 2025, and Good Mind and Body’s most popular resolutions.

If you’re reflecting on change, intention, or emotional growth, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and personal transformation.

EXPECTATIONS

Reflection, Resilience, and the Power of Renewal

As the calendar turns, so does our perspective. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how year-end rituals foster emotional growth, and how resilience transforms challenges into new beginnings.

As the New Year approaches, everyone begins to review the past year and make resolutions for the coming one. Hopefully, a connection exists between what you have experienced over the past year and what you hope to experience moving forward. Connecting these two is essential.

The categories are standard: Family, Health, Friends, Work, Country, Faith. Perhaps you add one or two more. Each of us can elaborate on the various elements of each category. I am also sure that challenges and personal trials are on the list as we express gratitude for the support of others and the resources that have appeared just when we needed them.

The routine of reviewing the past year and planning for the next is a magical thing. What if we did not have this cycle of years? Would we keep drifting and never stop to reflect or plan anew? This annual ritual is valuable. Yes, there are other times when life grabs us, and we stop, reflect, and regroup. The transitions in life are times of reflection: high school graduation, college graduation, transitioning from apprentice to master, birth of a child, marriage, divorce, death of any kind, serious illness, to name a few. Life can and does disrupt us, requiring that we do some hard work of reflection and reorganization.

Yet, we are resilient. Humans are adaptable in ways that other creatures are not. We can change directions and regroup after devastating losses. When you review your past, you will see what I mean. Each of us had to change directions. Hitting that brick wall hurts. Changing direction takes energy and courage. Give yourself an embrace for taking the time it takes and doing the work it took to change.

One of the most beautiful things about humans is their ability to rise from the ashes like a phoenix and begin anew. Remaking yourself and renewing yourself is laudable. Humans are created with this capacity; watching it happen is truly moving. Look at your history of rising from the ashes of a bad experience. Look at the history of your ancestors and progeny. Humans are amazing.

As we transition to a new year, journal about the past year and be grateful for the changes and challenges. Give yourself the credit you deserve for working with and through these experiences. Don’t just say you were lucky. Look at how you managed these difficult experiences and credit yourself for rising from the ashes to fly again.

Want to explore structured year-end reflection and resilience practices? Visit Forbes’ guide to year-end clarity and leadership, SEB’s reflection and planning toolkit, and Quantum Living Mastery’s journaling prompts for renewal.

If you’re reflecting on change, resilience, or personal growth, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and life-stage transformation.

WALKING AT NIGHT

Visibility, Vulnerability, and the Unspoken Rules of the Road

Darkness doesn’t forgive oversight. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores the tension between pedestrian rights and nighttime safety, and how visibility can mean the difference between life and tragedy.

This essay will be a divergence from previous ones as this is a rant and not an essay. So, stop reading here if you wish.

It is dark and it is about 10 pm. We are leaving our daughter’s home to go home to our place. The roads are narrow, with parking on both sides, so meeting a car requires that one driver give way by finding a spot on the curb for the other to pass. The space naturally increases when you come to a crossroads as you cannot park by the 4-way stop sign.

The oncoming car has the right-of-way because they arrived at the stop sign first, so we must give way and move to the right for them to pass. Yet, we have plenty of room to continue our journey through the intersection.

THEN

Appearing in the headlights is a woman walking, dressed all in black, walking on a blacktop road and expecting to be seen clearly. She is waving her arms wildly as though it is evident she is there and, as a pedestrian, must have the right of way! My husband’s lightning reflexes propel the swerve that saves her life. Again, she does not make any effort to move toward the curb. She is marching furiously forward, waving her arms like crazy. REALLY!!

When my heart stops pounding, I am furious. I have no desire to kill pedestrians. But!!

• Pitch black.
• No streetlights.
• Black clothing head to toe, including a hoody showing only a whisp of grey hair.
• Waving wildly that she has the right of way as a pedestrian.

Does she have a death wish and is suddenly conflicted?

Is she so self-absorbed that the recommendation to wear a reflective vest at night does not apply to her?

Does she go home complaining that some driver almost hit her?

Will my heart stop pounding?

Want to explore how to walk safely at night and improve visibility? Visit Safety Technology’s guide to nighttime walking safety, ReflecToes’ tips for pedestrian visibility, and Guardian Angel Devices’ winter night-walking safety guide.

If you’re processing fear, frustration, or emotional intensity after a close call, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional regulation and trauma recovery.

WHY ARE BOYS MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN GIRLS?

Emotion, Expression, and the Social Sculpting of Gender

It’s not just biology—it’s expectation. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how boys’ emotional potential is shaped by caregiving norms, and how aggression may be a symptom of emotional suppression rather than innate difference.

We all know that boys seem to be more rough and tumble than girls and that girls are more verbal and playfully expressive. Boys like to use their bodies while girls like to use their words. This has characterized the difference between girls and boys since the beginning of time. But why? Is the difference in one single gene, or is the difference in the social-emotional expectations that we have of these different sexes?

The research on infant characteristics will tell us that boys come into the world with a broader range of emotional expression than girls. Let me say that a different way: boys have more access to feelings than girls do. Again, boys have a bigger vocabulary for emotions than girls do. Boys have a broader range of feeling experiences than girls. Let me say this again: BOYS FEEL!

Whoa! Hold the horses. Boys are born with broader access to feeling experiences than girls! Boys have more access to feeling states than girls do! After you get up off the floor, stay with me. This is especially important. Why would there be a difference in the first place? People are people. Why don’t boys and girls come into the world with the same access to and understanding of human emotions? Actually, I do not know. However, I do know that the research studying emotional abilities in infants confirms this over and over. Boys come into the world with a wider range of emotional expressions than girls. In another essay, we could speculate on why this is the case.

Ok. Now that you have fainted and gotten up from the floor, let’s look at the process that happens after birth. Childcare is, by and large, done by women. Consequently, girl infants get more attention and more congruent attention than boys. What do I mean by this? Caretakers spend more time with girls than boys. That’s a fact. Congruent attention means that caretakers are more likely to identify with same-sex children and have a better understanding of their communication and needs because they can project from their own experiences.

Now, if we ran an experiment where caretakers were mainly men for boy infants and mainly women for girl infants, we might have a great experiment on our hands. We might be able to maintain the boys’ access to feelings and change the emotional trajectory of the entire population. I wonder if the boys would retain their access to a broader range of feeling states. The current reality is that women provide the lion’s share of childcare. Consequently, boys do not get the attention that encourages them to continue to use their emotional strengths. Their emotional skills drop away. The research shows that female caregivers discourage the emotional expression of boys. They spend less time with boys and discourage emotional expression in them.

YIKES! STAY TUNED FOR MORE.

Want to explore how gender norms shape aggression and emotional expression? Visit Open Text BC’s overview of personal and cultural influences on aggression, APA PsycNet’s summary of gender differences in aggression, and Psychology Today’s article on anger expression across genders.

If you’re reflecting on gendered expectations or emotional development, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and relational growth.

YOUR MENTAL STORAGE LOCKER

Legacy, Emotion, and the Courage to Unpack

Not all clutter is physical. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how emotional storage shapes our present, and how unpacking the past can lead to clarity, healing, and freedom.

Did you know that you have a storage locker? Storage lockers are generally places where we keep the “junk and stuff” about our life and existence. You know this place. Some of you have paid for a storage locker. The human loves to collect and save, and businesses like Self Storage or Extra Space Storage or literally hundreds more across the country make a living out of holding our junk and stuff and charging us for doing so! We love to save things. The attic is full, or the storage locker in our apartment building is overflowing, and we cannot decide which things to junk, so we rent a storage locker.

On some level, we know that we will never go through this stuff. Our children will be left with that responsibility. I know some families where the children have been methodical in going through the self-storage locker and others where they have just called “College Hunks Hauling Junk” and let everything go. There is no right or wrong to this process. Obviously, even though we tell ourselves that we save this stuff for the next generation, we actually save it for ourselves.

Making the decision to let go of great Grandpa’s razor strap or Aunt Ethel’s beautifully embroidered tablecloths is just too hard. We do not want to be responsible for destroying the legacy. Leave that to someone else.

You also have an equally complicated emotional storage locker. This one you really can sort through if you have the desire and the courage. Our early histories have traumas stored in them. These traumas impact the present whether we know about it or not. Trauma has a way of showing up and injecting itself in places that we least expect. Our brain stores it all. The good news is that means that all that history is available to us. We just must take the risk of climbing through these brain cells to unpack those memories. When you do that, the result is relief, insight, and freedom. Early traumas place limits on us. When we take heed of this and decide to go exploring, we can release stressors and traumas that have been influencing, distorting, and holding us back. So, let’s unpack!

Want to explore how emotional storage impacts well-being? Visit Healthline’s guide to releasing emotional baggage, Therapy in a Nutshell’s container method for trauma processing, and Animo Sano Psychiatry’s overview of trauma storage in the body.

If you’re ready to unpack your emotional storage locker, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and trauma recovery.

FRUIT

Boxes, Bounty, and the Bittersweet Joy of Holiday Gifting

Fruit is festive—but sometimes overwhelming. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how holiday fruit deliveries stir nostalgia, frustration, and creativity, and how even a grapefruit can be a gift with a twist.

December is the time of the year that your family members send you fruit for the holidays. Depending on your number of relatives, your fruit supply could be small, medium, large, or massive. We seem to be in the massive category. A dozen giant pears just arrived. They are delicious and can be poached in red or white wine to make lovely desserts. But, really? A dozen? Oh, and giant pink grapefruits. A dozen of those as well. How many mornings can you eat grapefruit? Don’t they realize that there are numerous reasons to skip the grapefruit? If you take statins, no grapefruit. If you have a heart condition, no grapefruit. If you take anti-anxiety drugs, no grapefruit. COME ON! Stop with the grapefruit.

The apples are more welcome because I love apple pie. I have an excellent recipe for a crust that will melt in your mouth, and you can arrange the apple slices to look gorgeous. You can also put a decorative crust on top and make these little cutouts that will brown a bit darker than the rest of the crust, giving you an elegant dessert. I remember my mom’s apple pies. When we were little, the apples would come from the trees in grandma’s orchard. As we got older, the grocer became the supplier. I like the local outdoor market set up every Sunday in the parking lot a few blocks away. Fresh apples are the best.

Then there is the standard Pumpkin Pie. Thank goodness no company markets a dozen pumpkins for the holiday, or I am sure we would have a crate of those as well.

Doesn’t my family know I like chocolate? There are chocolate-covered orange peels, figs, strawberries, dates, apricots, peaches, and pineapple! Come on! Think chocolate!

Now, do not get me wrong. The holidays are a lovely time to remember your family and friends. Boxes of fruit are advertised like crazy. They are unusual. They are seasonal. So, of course, you will look at the catalogs and the beautiful colored pictures. One would think the page is just reaching out to you and mesmerizing you. The catalog lulls you into a buying stupor, and suddenly, my porch is full of fruit.

Lest you misconstrue this rant, I do love fruit. I have always been a fan of fruit. I also love chocolate. I am sure that I have sneaked more chocolate than the average kid. I have my favorite candy makers and order boxes regularly. I even like chocolate-covered figs!

I do not know what to do with:

• A dozen pears
• A dozen grapefruits
• A dozen oranges
• A dozen golden delicious apples

Want to explore creative ways to use holiday fruit? Visit Oh My Creative’s winter fruit tray ideas, Nutrisystem’s Christmas fruit recipes, and Mashed’s festive fruit guide for holiday meals.

If holiday gifting stirs reflection, nostalgia, or overwhelm, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and seasonal balance.

MOTHERS OF BOYS, PAY ATTENTION

Connection, Communication, and the Emotional Cost of Gender Norms

Boys aren’t born emotionally distant—they’re shaped that way. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how early maternal interactions influence boys’ emotional development, and how small shifts in parenting can restore connection and resilience.

I have my nose in the research and the studies looking at the dynamic between mothers and sons is distressing. Consistently in studies of the interactions of mothers with their male infants you find the same result over and over again. Mothers of sons spend less time talking with their boys and their verbalizations are dramatically different than their interactions with female infants and toddlers. Whoa!!

Study after study shows the same outcome. The amount of time mothers spend talking with their boys is less than with girls. Observe them again at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and the observations show the same difference. We spend more time verbally stimulating girls than we do verbally stimulating boys. What is going on?
Girls get verbal play. At first, it is cooing and ahhing. Chatting with girls starts early. Girls get more verbal interaction whereby the mother is explaining what is going to happen next and describing things in the environment. Girls get stories from Mom even though they cannot participate in the storytelling. Girls get quicker responses from Mom than boys do. Boys get directions. Mothers of boys make comments that are brief and pointed.

These differences cannot be accounted for by thinking that girls are more fragile than boys. Studies consistently show that mothers do not perceive girls as more fragile. Fathers do not perceive girls as more fragile either. Maybe you are thinking that the girls demand more attention and that accounts for the mothers’ focus. Nope. Girls and boys seek mothers’ attention equally.

At this point, you should be a bit distressed reading these facts.

The research is consistent. Girl infants get more social interaction and stimulation than boys do. This sets up a social dynamic that continues as our children mature. Watch how parents interact differently with boys and girls. When a girl comes to a parent crying or in distress, she gets picked up or comforted and then asked to explain what was wrong. Not so for a boy. The boy in distress must first explain the trouble and if the explanation is deemed worthy, then he will get comfort. Most of the time, he just gets sent back into the play arena without comfort or validation.

Right now, I can hear the mothers of boys protesting and announcing that they spend plenty of time talking to their boys. Congratulations! You are the exception. Take a second look, please. Our boys need easy access to their feelings and encouragement to explore them. As a society, we are not doing a decent job of this. Raise your awareness. Pay close attention. Make changes. Our boys need access to their feelings and the ability to express the full range of emotions. We are systematically training them to cut off their feelings.

Want to explore how mother-son dynamics shape emotional development? Visit Wellesley Centers’ paper on relational parenting for boys, 1HappyKiddo’s guide to mother-son attachment and emotional growth, and NeuroLaunch’s deep dive into mama’s boy psychology.

If you’re reflecting on parenting, emotional connection, or gendered expectations, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and relational healing.

GLASS

Memory, Fragility, and the Beauty We Carry

Glass isn’t just decoration—it’s reflection. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how a simple catalog purchase can awaken buried memories, and how fragility and beauty often walk hand in hand across time.

We have a sunroom that needs some decoration. December is when catalogs from every purveyor around the world start showing up in your mailbox. Or, in our case, dropping through the mail slot and landing on the floor. Each day hears an enormous thud—the sorting and recycling of paper increases by a factor of ten, at least. So, we look at some catalogues that are new or unique. The inevitable purchase appears. Now, I know why they send these catalogs. I would never seek this thing, but it has caught my fancy. Somebody would never find a bright red hummingbird in nature, but this glass one in the catalog has caught my eye. A tad expensive but….

I do not know why this catalog caught my attention. There are beautiful leather bags and boxes. I spend time reading about the lace shawls and the organic cotton bedspreads. I am interested in the cashmere sweaters with their turtlenecks and beaded fronts. And, of course, there are the games in wood and ivory. I like the ivory domino set and the wooden chessmen. The checkerboard is gorgeous. And there are plenty of bedspreads and fancy towels to choose from. Yet, I keep returning to the glass figures without realizing why they catch my attention. I spot a gorgeous red hummingbird. Of course, there is no such hummingbird in real life. We do find the ruby-throated hummingbird in the wild. Hummingbird feeders have red on them because the bird is attracted to red, but there is no solid red hummingbird except in the catalog. You guessed it. I bought it.

The bird has arrived, and it is gorgeous! What has possessed me? What does it matter? I like it. It is beautiful. So, let us hang it up. My husband climbs the ladder and places it exactly right in the window. I love it! It is gorgeous! Yet, I am still curious as to why this piece.

Then, I remember a summer trip with my family. Long car trips can be challenging, and we always take long car trips. Flying anywhere was out of the question. There were too many of us. The cost was too much. So, we piled in the Buick and took long car trips. To break up the trips, my parents were vigilant about finding small, interesting, out-of-the-way places to stop and give us a break. Often, the state parks served this relief. Other times, certain specialty shops would be a distraction and allow us to stretch our legs.

On one trip to Michigan, my parents found a shop full of spun glass. The place was like a fairyland. You had to carefully walk down the aisles without touching anything. You held your breath as you looked at the numerous spun figures: Ballerinas, Dancing Bears, Delicate Trees, and Dangling Stars. The place was magical. I did not want to leave. This was paradise. While rounding one corner of the shop, my sleeve caught on the delicate wing of a butterfly. You guessed it. Bang! To the floor. One wing broke off. Of course, the shop owner required payment and carefully wrapped the parts in a small white box.

Gratefully, my parents were not mad. Disappointed, yes. They were unhappy about the expense that they frankly could not afford. Mad. No. Thankfully. But my birthday and Christmas gifts were spun glass figures for the next several years until I had quite a collection.

I forgot about that spun glass collection until this hummingbird caught my eye.

Want to explore the emotional symbolism of glass and memory? Visit SpiritMeans’ guide to broken glass symbolism, Milkweed Arts’ reflection on color and fused glass storytelling, and Offline Post’s analysis of The Glass Menagerie and the fragility of dreams.

If you’re reflecting on memory, loss, or emotional resonance, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and personal storytelling.

COMING TO A CLOSE

Reflection, Resilience, and the Rhythm of Renewal

As the calendar winds down, so does the invitation to pause. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how year-end transitions mirror life’s cycles, and how resilience carries us through change, challenge, and new beginnings.

We are entering December which means that the year is coming to a close. Going back over the months is hard. So much happens in a year. One cannot digest it all. If you keep a journal, you could review your entries and travel through the year again. If you keep a calendar, you could review it and see what has happened. If you just travel along, you can reflect on what has stayed in your memory and re-experience parts of the year. A year is a long time.

The tradition at the beginning of the year is to make resolutions and set goals for yourself. Perhaps you wrote them down. I know some people who take the time to develop annual goals that they keep in a journal. They challenge themselves periodically to write about their progress and their adjustments. Most of us may make New Year’s resolutions and then forget about them around January 15. A year is a long time.

Each year is filled with change and challenge. So many of us face January with plans and resolutions for the future. Most have abandoned those before February starts. Change happens anyway. We run into difficulties. Sometimes our bodies give us a surprise and require that we slow down or take a break. Sometimes our families throw us a curve ball and require that we set ourselves aside to care for them. Sometimes our work brings new challenges that require that we learn new processes or step aside for another colleague. Sometimes our bodies surprise and disappoint us that require reorganizing our homes and our lives.

Life is not simple. Life has never been simple. Remember how you came into this life: squeezed through a birth canal that seemed impossible to pass. Life is hard. Life will always have hard parts. Resilience is required. Fortunately, we are born resilient and brilliant. As infants we can read the world around us perfectly. We are intuitive and perceptive. We sense with accuracy all the things that are happening around us. This is our survival mechanism. Unfortunately, that brilliance fades over time and we adapt to the family into which we were born. We acquire their perspectives and accept their ideas of how the world functions. This adaptation is a part of survival. We adopt their views, their perspectives, their understandings, and their feelings about the world around us.

When we mature and leave home, we begin to challenge our families’ views and learn about a variety of perspectives. Our journey through these stages of life is much like the process of moving through a year. We start with a sense of hope and plans for change. We encounter challenges. We face difficulties. We adjust. We change. We hold on to parts of our history and our beliefs as anchors in the storms of life. As we come to the end of the year, we reflect on the journey and understand that life causes us to face challenges, to make decisions, to rework our thoughts and values, and to begin again. The New Year is indeed a new beginning. You will make resolutions. You will make plans. You will face difficulties, and the unknown will cause you to re-evaluate and readjust. You are resilient. And you will do it again next year.

Want to explore year-end reflection and resilience practices? Visit Quantum Living Mastery’s guide to year-end journaling, Simply Bee Counseling’s 2024 Wrapped reflection toolkit, and Holly Andrews Coaching’s prompts for growth and goal setting.

If you’re reflecting on change, resilience, or personal growth, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and life-stage transformation.