Livia Andrade shows off her body during her vacation in the United States: “It is abundant.”

January marks the beginning of new plans, but for many, expectations become a burden. In Uberlandia (MG), psychologists launched the White January campaign to highlight the importance of mental health.

Comparisons and expectations

Celebrations at the end and beginning of the year tend to cause a lot of pain to a portion of the population – especially to those suffering from some kind of psychological disorder. According to the psychoanalyst. Meetings at parties and celebrations during this period generate emotional overload in people, who compare themselves with each other, there are family fights, disagreements and a feeling of failure. “This ends up being a lot more of a burden and pressure than an open path. Many people already start the year in a state of stress, distress, depression, or excessive anxiety about how they are going to live this new year,” he says.

Psychoanalyst Frederic Barrera notes that even with greater interest post-pandemic, the topic remains taboo. The holiday season intensifies comparisons, pain, and feelings of failure, especially for those with mental disorders.

This idealization of how to live particularly affects people with psychological disorders. According to the professional, people also believe that they need to be perfect, and they believe that life should be almost like a show, which is what we often see in movies, series and especially on social media, and life is not like that. It consists of many difficulties and many tribulations, and this is part of it, and there is nothing wrong with that.

The Professional highlights the pressure of idealizing a perfect life, highlighting that accepting adversity is key. This White January is a call to pay attention to our mental health and understand that life is full of challenges, and that's okay.