The new year holds the promise of a fresh start. The change of the calendar invites reflection on other changes one would like to make in one’s life. What would you like to change?

Does your relationship need renewing? Relationships require work. Habits of neglect or taking for granted a life-partner can can result in hurt and then build resentment. What choices can you make in the new year that will refresh the relationships that are most important to you?

Does your use of time need renewing? Ours is the first generation that is having to adapt to digital technology. As engineers change the technology, the technology changes us. Are the changes you are experiencing through the use of your smartphone or your computer changes that really enhance your life? Or, are these changes undermining how you spend your time, how you relate to others, and how you are oriented toward a more hopeful future?

Does how you parent your children need renewing? Digital technology not only changes us, it changes the environment in which our children are growing up. We do not yet know what the true impact of Social Media will be on our children. We will not know until they are adults and facing life’s challenges on their own. Many parents today do not have models for parenting in a digital age because they did not grow up in a digital age. The next generation with have the benefits of our mistakes. Are there changes you need to make now in the parenting of your children to assure they become emotionally healthy adults and have the necessary life skills need to prepare them for life in a challenging world?

One place we are seeing unintentional change in the new digital environment is in how people experience sexuality. Sexual addiction and hyper-sexual disorder is on the rise. Young adult males who have grown up with pornography are demonstrating a lack of interest in real-life sexuality. Young adult females are demonstrating challenges related to body image and identity that have been influenced not only by their own exposure to pornography but to their relationships with young men who have had their expectations of women distorted by their use of pornographic images.

The new year invites us to review the challenges of our life and to make a fresh start. What choices will you make in 2019?

If you know of someone who may struggle with a sexual addiction and/or a spouse or partner who is suffering from the pain from this behavior, call now for help: 916-728-5433.

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