2026 is the year of positivity

Photo by Jacqueline Munguía on Unsplash

January and February passed in a whirl. I started my counselling training and I am doing group therapy at a local charity. I was invited to join a US male mental health foundation called The Real - women are welcome as allies.

For the first time in my life, 2026 started with 0 anxiety. I am hoping through training and therapy to find out what happened to the internal critic who ruined my daily life since my adolescence with his confidence-bursting comments. 

I now know it's my father's voice internalised. Growing up with a bipolar father who had narcissistic traits is not easy, even if you are a happy, loving child to start with.

So I'd like to share three things that helped me navigate cyclical depression bouts. I get these spells, they vanish, then something triggers them again so I relapse. No amount of therapy can totally cure you, you are aiming to manage your disfunctional self. Prescribed drugs are not the only way to do it, talking therapy or CBT can really help. 

CBT stands for cognitive behavioral therapy, an action-oriented form of talking therapy that helps you manage issues by changing unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors. It includes worry management, controlling catastrophising and dealing with anxiety generated by negative thinking. It's a toolkit to manage your moods and works well for many. For me it worked in combination with counselling.

Three things that helped me in 2025

1, Depression lies - nobody is worthless, revisiting past achievements puts the present in perspective, we all contributed to society - raising children counts.

2. Gradual change is best, never overdo. Be kind to oneself and accept help. 

3. Is it mental health or neuro-divergency? Anxiety and depression might come from neuro-divergency. Read all you can find online and listen to neurodivergent people who share their struggles.

Feel free to comment - you don't need to use your real name. What I am learning through group therapy is that it is very helpful to contrast and compare my issues with other people's emotional landscape.

We feel in different ways and I discover I have been more or less resilient than others regarding aspects of my childhood that are still affecting my adult life. There are often similarities and a lot to be learned to continue on my journey towards contentment.

I am aiming at contentment, happiness is fleeting. That said I have experienced pure joy looking at nature or being with people I love.

P.S. A bonus point: stop looking at what others do or achieve and focus on your goals. What do you want? What do you need? Set up your plan, with baby steps to break down complexity.