AT The Beginning of another year
It's a funny feeling at the beginning of the New Year. Christmas hype is gone; you've made it through New Year, and here you are at the beginning of a fresh new year. The first few days are relaxing, most people are still off work, and it feels good to be entering a new Year.
Then after the first week of January, normality starts to set in, and our routines begin again. Although they feel comfortably familiar, there's an internal niggling or internal pressure that, at the beginning of the year, change should happen.
We look for New Year's resolutions that might be achievable in a short period so we can tick them off the to-do list with the satisfaction that we conquered something new, albeit only for a couple of months or weeks.
I am not immune to any of this behaviour; my subconscious brain has me plotting things around Christmas time...
Next year I will achieve this!!!!
The thing is, this year, 2023 is about self-compassion. It is about being kind and understanding rather than harshly self-critical when we fail, ...
Being kind and understanding to oneself does not mean you are not still energetic and actively hitting goals. On the contrary, when you take time to be kind to yourself, you will hit more goals and have more energy. Many of my clients become stuck around this time.
Leading with kindness and self-understanding:
Reflect on 3 things you did last year that you are proud of, and write them down.
Name 3 people you helped through a challenging period last year, a child or adult.
List 3 things you did last year that were only for yourself, only you benefited, and it was about you filling up your cup only.
Ok, now the second part:
Write down one thing you want to achieve this year.
Write down why you want to achieve that goal. Anything...
f you only had 10 minutes to work towards that goal, write down 1 thing you can do every day to get closer to that goal. Start there.
Often with change, we are all guilty of thinking too widely. An example I see very often is someone wanting to take up yoga to become more flexible because they feel stiff and tight. They buy a new mat and find a local class they go to once a week for a month. They stop, not because of lack of motivation or laziness but because to create a lasting habit, and it needs regular repetition for the brain to recognise it as a habit and not just something you do from time to time.
Creating the Habit.
Do one thing towards your goal for 10 minutes every day. Do it at the same time every day, and don't miss it. Make it a commitment and something you can not adjust. Everything else has to work around it.
Do one thing at a time. Choose only one new habit to do at a time.
With self-compassion, we give ourselves support and encouragement rather than being judgmental. We celebrate the win by repeating the task daily for 10 minutes rather than judging ourselves for not doing better. Also, self-compassion helps us cultivate a growth mindset by encouraging the belief that improvement is possible and bolstering our desire to do better.
Then you give it a go, and I look forward to hearing how you got on.
Namaste
Amber
Ps: looking for some time to yourself this year? Why not come to one of my Yoga Retreats? Click here to find out more.
Pps: Book a Wellbeing free consult by clicking here.