As we begin this new year, I was thinking about beginnings as well as endings.  Endings can be difficult.  The challenge is to embrace endings and try to look at what the new beginning may bring.  Naturally, we can feel dragged down by endings and focus primarily on what we have lost.  The emotions can be overwhelming and keep us from seeing beyond the pain that we are experiencing in the moment.

However, if we think about it, each ending embraces a new beginning.  We see it in nature all the time.  When trees lose their leaves it means the end of fall and the beginning of winter.  Vacations ending mean the beginning of new projects and the pursuit of new goals and dreams.  Getting married means the end of being single and the beginning of sharing your life with someone.  The examples are infinite.  Of course, certain endings make us feel happy, satisfied, and even relieved.  Others cause sadness, leave us wanting more, and can lead to depression.    

In order to have stability in our lives and get through these difficult times, we need to learn to embrace endings and new beginnings.    

• Start looking at endings as a transition.  Whenever there is an ending, there is the opportunity for a fresh start -  a chance for something exciting and interesting to begin.
• Allow yourself to get in touch with the feelings that emerge.  If you shut down feelings, you will get stuck in the past.
• Be realistic about the positive and negative aspects of an ending. When we lose something or someone, we tend to idealize it and remember it, or them, as having been perfect.  Nothing and no one is perfect. 
• Make the best of your circumstances.  Getting a divorce is the end of a marriage, but also the opportunity to start fresh, focusing on new freedom, new opportunities and perhaps pursuing a better relationship.
• Remember, you may not be able to control the ending itself, but you have total control over how you choose to see it and respond to it.  Embrace and try to focus on what the new beginning will bring into your life instead of focusing on what you are losing.  It is a matter of perspective.  You can see the glass as half empty or half full.  It is up to you!