The old year is gone and it's time to do a postmortem. 365 days is a long time and so you have to take your time and reflect deeply on your life.

Here is a simple guide on how to do it.

This is perhaps the most important question you can ask yourself as you step into the new year. Your level of happiness is the key determinant of your mental health.

In between balancing work and life, it's important to tend to your mental health the way you would a house help. 

The body is the engine that keeps you moving. If it isn't in a good condition it affects every other aspect of your life in an extremely negative manner. 

Interpersonal relationships are what keep us grounded. They are the community that gives us the happiness and the fulfilment we need to move through life and if they are not in absolute balance then your life is most likely bound to gravitate towards a chaotic phase.

As you go into the new year you have to look into the relationships you have had over the last year and determine whether they are worth keeping. 

These relationships are not just centred around romantic love. They are the relationships you had at work, with your friends, neighbours, and family.

Were they good for your mental health? Did they impact you positively? Are they good enough to be carried into this new chapter of your life or do they need to remain in the old year?

The new year is already a few days old, so these are best asked now and acted upon before the year turns into another routine. 

Your employment matters. The balm holds your life together because money has a massive say in how your life runs.

Did you perform well or are there areas that need some improvement? Did you show up the way you were supposed to or is that something you have to work on in the new year? 

If you find that you did not perform then it's time to look into yourself and understand why you did not.

Is it because you are in the wrong field or do you just lack discipline?

Answering those questions will help you know what you need to change or whether you just need to move in a new direction that gives you the motivation you need to perform the way you are supposed to. 

A new year comes with the desire to change certain bits of your life. It is why we write down resolutions and why the most organized people create vision boards.

If you didn't hit your targets, you have to go back to the resolutions you wrote at the onset of 2022 or your vision board if that was your preferred choice at the time.

This is the key to knowing whether you experienced growth in the last year or whether you withered while trying to navigate the challenges that come with existing in a fast-changing world that does not give us much space to breathe.

You have to look back at the woman you were in 2022 in comparison to the woman you had been in 2021.

Is she different? Is she a better version of herself? What has changed within her? 

The changes do not have to be huge or life-changing. Something as simple as learning how to handle conflict better is good enough. 

Some lessons must have been loud to you in that year. Those lessons deserve their page in your journal so you know if you are on the right path or whether there are things that need changing. 

What is a new year without a new vision board? We are creatures easily distracted by the whims that come with life and that is why we need well-laid-out plans to achieve the things we dream about.

To do a vision board you have to sit down alone, in the quiet space of the morning or the late afternoon when the distractions have simmered down, and imagine what you want your life to look like in 2023.

The holiday mood is still deep within us so you have until the 9th of January to figure out what you want for yourself this year.

And if you need help coming up with a vision board, Canva has free templates to guide you when bringing your vision to life.

Read More: Will The New Year Bring Good Tidings?