Happy New Year everyone!
I can’t believe we’re in 2022 already. It only seems like a couple of months ago we entered 2021. I guess the pandemic sometimes makes everything feel a bit like Groundhog Day and you lose track of time.
A new year is here, a fresh slate and time to look ahead. This is the time of year when a lot of people make resolutions for the year ahead – to lose weight, to exercise more, stop smoking…. the list goes on.
But how many people actually stick to them? Well, the answer is not many. I read an article the other day that said less than 10% of people still to their resolutions which means 90% of us don’t see them through.
We set ourselves up to fail from the start. Many people have events planned for New Year’s celebrations, so immediately they are starting the year and ignoring their resolutions. Then we procrastinate – we’ll do it when we go back to work, we’ll start Monday…. you know the drill! Those feelings of failure make us feel even more full of self-judgement and negative self-talk than we had in the first place and can lead us to doing more of the thing we were trying to not do (comfort eating, drinking, smoking etc). It’s a vicious circle!
The way we make and phrase these resolutions sends the message to our brains that we are not good enough as we are just now, and will only be good enough when XYZ goal happens. That’s not good for our self-esteem or our mental health.
If you want to make changes in your life that is fine. But set realistic goals for yourself, in smaller manageable chunks. For example, if you are new to running and want to run a marathon break it into smaller chunks to be able to run 1km without stopping, then get to 2km, then 5km, then 10km and work your way up to the marathon. That way you will feel like you are achieving your goals.
Also make the goals for the right reason, and frame it in a positive way. For example, instead of ‘wanting to lose weight’ decide to ‘make healthier food choices to nurture your body’. This sends more of a positive message to yourself that you good enough but want to enhance what you have.
So no more 'New Year, New Me' bullshit. Change it to 'New Year, Same Me'. Yes, you may not be perfect but no one is. You are amazing as you are. Yes, that's right - YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!
Always, always love yourself as you are just now, no matter what. Every morning, take a few minutes to look in the mirror (and I mean really look at yourself) and without judgement say ‘I love you’ to the person standing there looking back. Regardless of whether you need to lose weight, get healthier, stop smoking, start exercising…whatever…show a bit of love and gratitude to your body. No matter what you throw at it, your body shows up for you every day and keeps you alive. That deserves a lot of respect, love and gratitude. By being gentler and showing yourself a bit of respect and love for your body, it will slowly begin to change your mindset and you will want to make smaller, healthier changes rather than big bang resolutions you won’t stick to.
Winter is not actually the time for making resolutions anyway. Winter is about slowing down, resting and recharging. If you want to be making any changes then think about doing it in Spring (around end of March). Think of nature as the perfect example. The trees and plants lose their leaves in autumn and during the winter, very little activity takes place other than surviving. But come springtime, it’s time to come back to life and for new growth and blooming. We are designed to do that too. Spring is the time to wake our bodies back up, for new growth, goals and mindsets.
So cut yourself some slack. Love and honour your mind, body and spirit. YOU ARE WORTH IT!
Whatever you have planned for 2022, I wish you a year filled with health, happiness and love.
Pauline
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