No More New Years' Resolutions. What To Do Instead.

With the New Year coming up next week, I wanted to offer a different strategy to enter into the new year that does not include a New Years' resolution. What I have seen over and over again is that these resolutions become something for an individual to beat themselves up about. That is not the way we are going to enter into this new year, this new decade.

One of my teachers in Graduate School, Christine Caldwell, came up with the Moving Cycle. This includes Awareness, Owning, Appreciation, and Action. We cannot change what we are not aware of. Once we became aware of something, we need to own and appreciate all the ways our actions, habits, and patterns have supported and protected us in so many different ways. Lastly, when we take action we are doing so from compassionate understanding and reflection on what is going to feel most supportive.

Entering into this new year, instead of creating another resolution that is often based on external goals, like losing weight, ask yourself how you want to feel in your body. Come up with a single word right now. Whatever pops into your head first. I'll pause for a second to let that desired feeling come into your mind...

Whatever your core desired emotion is, keep this in mind throughout the year. So for example, if you want to feel light in your body, you can ask yourself before eating any food, before committing to any project, before hanging out with any individual will this provide me with the sensations and emotions of feeling light. Your desired feeling can guide you in making optimal decisions for yourself. Asking yourself the question, "will this bring my desired emotion?" is cultivating awareness, you get to own and appreciate the answer you receive back from your body saying yes or no and then you can take action that is informed and in alignment with how you want to be feeling this next year.

This approach is not about changing you. It is about embracing who you are and honoring that some things are going to resonate with your unique system more than others. I do want to make a clarification that sometimes we will engage in an activity that gives us our desired feelings later. For example, physically moving our body can at times feel strenuous, it can challenge us, and it can sometimes feel uncomfortable. You can notice though if after you physically move your body in different ways does it provide you with your desired emotion. So you may not feel light while engaging in a particular activity but you can notice if you feel light later on. The same goes for your food. It may not feel light to say no to some foods you have discovered do not digest with ease in your body but you can notice if you feel lighter later in your day or even lighter in your whole week by not eating those foods. Some actions will be in service to providing how you want to be feeling later on.

This can be a fun experiment to engage in each day through this next year. You can bring some child-like curiosity to every decision-making process to discover what ultimately will provide you with what you desire. I'm here for you on this adventure so reach out anytime! Wishing you all a wonderful transition into the New Year.