New Year Resolution Blues? Reclaim Wintertime for Rest & Reflection!

Happy Gregorian New Year!

The phrase “New Year Resolution” is thrown around a lot at this time of the year, and many of us feel pressured by social expectation to know exactly what we want for the year ahead and feel motivated and excited about setting clear goals for ourselves and changing our habits.

Unfortunately, within a few short days or weeks, most of us start to feel demotivated and disconnected from these goals and changes, and quickly feel disappointed and ashamed in ourselves, which doesn't exactly set the emotional tone we had hoped for the year ahead.

There's a reason why most of us, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, feel this way at this time of the year…

It's wintertime!  The days are shorter and often grey, cold, and gloomy.

This is not when nature intended for us to start new ventures and make big changes.

In fact, many species naturally hibernate in this season.

And, as humans, we are equally impacted by the environment and the changing seasons.

And, it's important that we stop ignoring that simply because it doesn't fit into the arbitrary ways that we've chosen as a society to track the movement of time.

Wintertime is a time for retreating, resting, reflecting, and recharging our batteries, getting us ready for that natural restlessness and the urge to move, change and grow that naturally comes up as we transition from Winter into Spring, when nature also wakes up!

So, instead of setting ourselves up for failure, disappointment, and self-criticism this January…

I propose that we use the next 2.5 months to focus on doing the bare minimum needed to keep our lives functional and keep ourselves well, while really making time for and surrendering into rest, self-care and self-reflection, so that we can use the natural rhythms of nature to feel clear-minded, ready and motivated for change in the Springtime.

So here's to some rest and reflection, this season…

Best wishes for the year ahead!