Each January, we take a collective breath and reset ourselves for another year. As we throw away old calendars and box up holiday decorations, we often experience a feeling of renewal. A new year offers a blank slate; a fresh start.

And considering the way 2016 went, I think most of us welcome the change. Social media has been flooded with posts and articles debating where 2016 ranks among the worst years of all time. Why? Political acrimony fueled by the election and Brexit, the deaths of beloved celebrities including David Bowie, Prince, Harper Lee and Muhammad Ali, ongoing mass shootings, record-high global temperatures and much more. If you have the stomach for it, type #worstyearever on Twitter and you'll find plenty of evidence for why 2016 will go down as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.

That said, it's always important to reflect on the past before overreacting. Consider 1348, when the Black Death wiped out at least one-third of Europe's population. Or 1919, when an influenza epidemic killed half a million Americans and race riots raged in cities across the U.S. And let's not forget 1943, when the atrocities of the Holocaust neared their peak and famine impacted much of the globe. Yes, perspective is important.