Teen and Young Adult Therapy: How to Actually Use January Mental Wellness Month When You’re Still Recovering from the Holidays
You survived the holidays, but you are not okay. Everyone’s posting about fresh starts and New Year goals while you’re still trying to recover from family trauma, financial stress, or just the emotional exhaustion of performing “fine” for weeks.
January is Mental Wellness Month. It’s not about raising awareness, it’s about what you are going to do about it and I am here to help you navigate.
I’m Denise Takakjy, the founder of Healing Hearts Healthy Minds. I am here to help you with a four week plan on how to focus on your wellness this month. I offer virtual therapy in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware for teens, young adults, and parents navigating trauma, anxiety, and the aftermath of harm. I am here to help you with solutions on how to focus on your mental health and provide mindful tips this January.
The Shift from Holidays to You
The holidays are about everyone else. Family obligations. Social expectations. Managing other people’s emotions while yours are pushed aside. January ends that. You’re left with yourself and whatever you’ve been avoiding.
For a lot of young adults, this shift feels uncomfortable. You’ve been in survival mode and now have space to look at your own mental health, such as the anxiety you’ve been ignoring, the trauma you’ve been outrunning, or the depression that’s been there the whole time. These are just a few examples.
That’s exactly what January Mental Wellness Month. It is time to take permission to make your mental health the priority after weeks of putting it last.
Your January Mental Wellness Plan: 4 Weeks, 4 Priorities
Instead of vague resolutions, here’s what actually prioritizing your mental health looks like week by week.
Week 1: Acknowledge What’s Not Working (Self-Assessment Week)
This week is about honest inventory without judgment. Grab your phone notes, a journal, or just sit with these questions:
Daily check-in practice: Set a timer on your phone for the same time each day. When it goes off, pause and ask yourself: How am I actually feeling right now? What happened today that made me feel worse? What made me feel slightly better?
Identify your patterns:
- What situations consistently trigger anxiety, panic, or shutdown?
- Which relationships leave you feeling drained versus supported?
- What coping mechanisms are you using that aren’t actually helping? (Doomscrolling slop or brain-rotting for hours, avoiding everything, isolating, substance use, self-harm)
When do you feel most unsafe in your own mind?
One specific action: Write down three things that are actively harming your mental health right now. Not things you think you “should” fix. Things that are genuinely making it harder to function. This could be a toxic friendship, a social media account you hate-follow, staying up until 3am, skipping meals, or anything else that’s hurting you.
The goal isn’t to fix everything. It’s to name what’s actually happening.
Week 2: Learn and Practice One Skill (Building Your Toolbox)
Pick ONE skill to practice multiple times this week. Not five skills. One.
If you struggle with panic or intense anxiety, try TIPP:
Temperature: Splash cold water on your face or hold ice cubes when you’re overwhelmed. This triggers your dive reflex and calms your nervous system.
Intense exercise: Do 30 jumping jacks, run up stairs, or do pushups when anxiety hits. Physical intensity can shift your emotional state.
Paced breathing: Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4, out for 6. The longer exhale activates your parasympathetic nervous system.
Paired muscle relaxation: Tense every muscle in your body for 5 seconds, then release. Notice the difference.
If you struggle with dissociation or feeling numb, try the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique:
-Name 5 things you can see
-4 things you can touch
-3 things you can hear
-2 things you can smell
-1 thing you can taste
Do this slowly. Actually touch the objects. The goal is bringing yourself back into your body and the present moment.
If you struggle with racing thoughts at night, try a “thought dump”.
Before bed, spend 10 minutes writing down every thought in your head. Don’t organize it. Don’t make it make sense. Just get it out of your brain and onto paper. Then close the notebook and tell yourself “I’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
Practice commitment: Use this skill at least 3-4 times this week. Set reminders. Notice what happens when you use it versus when you don’t.
Week 3: Set One Boundary (Protecting Your Energy)
This is the hardest week for most people. Setting boundaries feels mean or selfish. It’s not. It’s survival.
Identify one specific boundary you need to set:
- “I need to stop responding to texts from [person] immediately. I’m allowed to wait until I have emotional capacity.”
- “I need to say no to hangouts when I’m already overwhelmed, even if people are disappointed.”
- “I need to limit contact with family members who trigger my trauma, even during non-holiday times.”
- “I need to stop doomscrolling on social media before bed because it makes my anxiety worse.”
- “I need to tell my roommate I can’t be their therapist right now.”
How to actually set it:
Script for declining social plans: “I appreciate the invite, but I need to take care of myself tonight. Can we reschedule?”
Script for limiting contact: “I need some space right now. I’ll reach out when I’m ready to connect.”
Script for ending conversations that drain you: “I’m not in the right headspace for this conversation. I need to step away.”
For digital boundaries: Mute accounts, turn off notifications, delete apps from your phone (you can reinstall later), or set app time limits. I know this is hard, but it does help!
Reality check: You don’t owe anyone an explanation beyond “I need to prioritize my mental health right now.” Their disappointment is not your responsibility to manage.
Track boundaries: Notice how you feel before setting it (usually anxious) vs. after you’ve maintained it for a few days (usually relieved). This reinforces that boundaries help you, even when they feel hard.
Week 4: Get Support (Stop Doing This Alone)
This is the week you stop white-knuckling your mental health and actually ask for help.
If you’re ready for therapy:
- I offer a free consultation and special lies in a multitude of things, including trauma
- Do your research! Research DBT skills groups in your state, CBT therapist, and EMDR For any specific traumatic memories that continue to replay
If you’re not ready for formal therapy yet:
- Tell one person you trust how you’re actually doing. Not “I’m fine.” The real answer.
- Join an online support community for people dealing with similar struggles (Reddit has communities for anxiety, trauma, depression, etc. Find one that feels supportive, not toxic - just remember that most of these individuals are not licensed therapist, but rather individuals you can speak to Or read about their experiences)
- Call or text a crisis line if you’re having suicidal thoughts or self-harm urges: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
If you’re already in therapy but it’s not helping:
- Be honest with your therapist that the current approach isn’t working
- Ask about trying a different modality (DBT for emotional regulation, EMDR for trauma processing, CBT for thought patterns)
- Consider finding a new therapist who specializes in what you’re dealing with
One specific action this week: Make one phone call, send one email, or have one conversation that moves you toward support. Even if it’s just scheduling a consultation you’re nervous about.
Remember, getting support isn’t admitting defeat. It’s recognizing that healing from trauma, managing anxiety, or recovering from depression isn’t something you’re supposed to go through alone. Young adults often heal faster than older populations because your brains are still highly adaptable due to neuroplasticity. That only happens if you actually get support and are aware of your mental wellness.
What Actually Helps Beyond These Four Weeks
The work doesn’t end after January. But these four weeks give you a foundation:
Week 1 will help you identify what’s actually hurting you.
Week 2 will give you at least one tool to use when things get hard.
Week 3 will teach you that protecting your energy isn’t selfish.
Week 4 will connect you to support so you’re not doing this alone.
These are small, sustainable shifts that add up to actually prioritizing yourself. These four weeks are your starting point.
What Happens Next
If you’re in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, or Connecticut and you’re ready for assistance and help I am here for you and can help. My credentials include PhD, LPC-PA, LPC-NJ, LPCMH-DE, NCC, C-DBT, CATP, and BSL.
I offer virtual therapy for teens, young adults, and parents dealing with trauma, anxiety, depression, self-harm, and emotional dysregulation. I provide CBT, DBT skills groups, individual EMDR therapy, and EMDR intensives.
Are you ready to make your mental health a priority this month? Call me or email me for a consultation.