A New Year That Isn’t About Fixing You
- rootcapcounseling
- Jan 8
- 3 min read
An invitation to live—gently, honestly, and on purpose.
As the new year begins, there’s a familiar pressure in the air: Do more. Be better. Change everything. If you’re here, I want to offer something different.
Not a resolution. Not a checklist. Not another way to measure yourself against who you think you should be.
This is an invitation to live—especially if life has changed in ways you never asked for.
I’m speaking to you directly now, as your therapist and as a human who understands that some seasons don’t need motivation… they need meaning.
“Yes to Life” — Even When Life Hurts
Viktor Frankl wrote:
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Frankl wasn’t talking about self-improvement. He was talking about how to stay human in the face of loss, uncertainty, and suffering.
In Man’s Search for Meaning, he reminds us that meaning isn’t something we chase—it’s something we respond to, moment by moment.
And his later message, often referred to as “Yes to Life,” isn’t about positivity. It’s about choosing to stay engaged with life—even when it’s heavy.
If This Is That Kind of Year for You
This blog is for you if:
You’re learning how to live without a loved one for the first time—and the quiet is louder than you expected.
You’re starting fresh after a relationship ended, a role changed, or an identity shifted.
Your adult child has moved back home, and the emotions are more complicated than anyone talks about.
You’ve changed careers—or realized the career you worked so hard for no longer fits.
You’re navigating your first real relationship later in life and feeling both hopeful and terrified.
These aren’t problems to solve. They are life passages.
And passages require presence—not pressure.
Three Gentle Ways to Live This Year (Inspired by Frankl)
1. Anchor Meaning to Small, Real Moments
Frankl believed meaning is found in what life asks of us—not grand goals.
Meaning might look like:
Making coffee for yourself even when grief says, “Why bother?”
Sitting at the table when the chair across from you is empty.
Choosing honesty instead of avoidance in a new relationship.
Showing up to work unsure—but still present.
You don’t need clarity. You need contact with life as it is.
2. Let Suffering Speak—Without Letting It Decide Everything
Frankl never glorified pain, but he refused to let it strip people of dignity.
If this year hurts, the question isn’t:
“How do I get rid of this?”
It’s:
“Who am I becoming as I carry this?”
There is strength in learning how to grieve and live. In holding fear while still moving forward. In allowing tenderness to exist alongside resilience.
3. Choose Relationship Over Resolution
Meaning grows in connection—with others, with yourself, with something larger than the moment.
That may mean:
Reaching out for support instead of isolating
Letting a therapist walk alongside you while you figure things out
Naming out loud what you’ve been carrying quietly
You were never meant to do this alone.
Support Matters — Especially If You’re Struggling
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, numb, or unsafe, help is available:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 — 24/7, confidential support
Psychology Today A directory to find mental health professionals in your area
And if you’re in Texas or open to online therapy, you don’t have to search alone.
Working Together at Root Cap Counseling
At Root Cap Counseling, I work with individuals who are navigating trauma, loss, life transitions, and the quiet identity shifts that don’t come with a roadmap.
My approach is grounded in evidence-based care (including EMDR, CBT, and trauma-focused work), but it’s also deeply human. We move at your pace. We focus on collaboration—not fixing. We honor both pain and possibility.
How to Make an Appointment
Request an appointment through the contact form
Sessions available in-person in Texas and online
If you’re unsure whether therapy is right for you, that uncertainty is welcome here too.
A Closing Thought
Frankl wrote:
“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”
This year doesn’t need to be about becoming someone new. It can be about learning how to live as the person you are—right now.
And if you’d like someone to walk beside you as you do that, I’m here.
— Omaira "O.G." Garcia, LPC, CCTP, Founder & Clinician, Root Cap Counseling (806) 590- 0064
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