this is why you don’t feel ready for the New Year
It’s the day after New Years Eve and you’re snuggled up on the sofa watching a film. Feeling the few drinks from the night before, but cosy under a blanket whilst it’s icy outside, the trees are bare and afternoon daylight quickly turns into dark.
Nature is in it’s slumber and we are supposed to start getting up early, go back to the gym, start a new hobby, and get out there whilst all other life forms continue their period of rest for winter. If you are not feeling this New Year New Me energy, you only have to look outside and notice that we are still in the depths of Winter, the awakening of Spring a few months off.
The 1st January as the official day of the New Year was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, known as the Gregorian calendar. Previously in Medieval Europe, New Year came in on 25th March or around the Spring Equinox. The time nature blossoms into life, and perhaps when you feel more ready for changing habits and busily working towards your goals.
If you’re not feeling New Year ready, instead of asking yourself what is wrong with me, why am I exhausted, why do I feel low… ask yourself if you feel forced to live up to something that’s misaligned with your natural rhythm? Social pressure plays a part here, as does our culture of work that demands high levels of productivity throughout the year, operating in a season-less reality.
If we can create moments of pause and reflection to listen to the queues from your body and energy levels, we can choose when it feels right for us to burst into activity and when to slow down. As in the seasons, it is not natural to constantly be ‘on’. Rest and reflection is essential for our continued growth, to help meet those goals to work towards the life you picture for yourself.
Here’s how to honour and connect back into your natural cycle:
Time in nature - notice the seasonal changes where you live, the life and death cycle of plant life and trees, when the flowers bloom, what animals do you see and what are they doing?
Adapt your movement practice and exercise routine to your energy levels - Feeling the need for more rest recently? Honour that by doing lower impact workouts, slower forms of yoga like yin yoga and slow flow… or simply staying in bed longer!
Mindset shift - sometimes our feelings go against the social norms and what we feel pressured (or forced) to do by society. This 3 step mindset shift can help you with small wins to be more aligned with your natural cycle.
1. Accept your feelings - there is nothing wrong with you that you feel different than what is expected of you.
2. Know the facts - the reality of how society operates is not always helpful for our mental health, acknowledging this avoids getting wrapped up in feelings of guilt.
3. Change the story - Using a ‘I get to’ affirmation to flip the story, for example: ‘I may have responsibilities that I need to show up for, but I get to choose to go slower, make less plans, take moments of pause at times when my natural rhythm is of lower energy.’
Using journaling to track your energy and affirmations will help here, and remember that more rest does not mean abandoning your goals. A more balanced life that allows for periods of rest and activity means for a reduced risk of burnout and a higher chance of making the lasting change you want in your life.
Hope you have a peaceful and restful New Year x
