If your holiday was less than desirable, or even if you thoroughly enjoyed your holiday season, but now you are running off fumes, then this is for you.
Invariably, after Christmas passes, we are bombarded by the ever-catchy slogans that signal the start of a new year.
New Year, New Beginnings!
A New Year is the start to a whole new life!
Cheers to a fresh start!
You hear your aunt’s pledge to initiate an incredible meditation routine and your partner’s commitments to attend the gym regularly. You see articles with headlines like, ‘Rid Yourself of Last Year’s Bad Habits’ and several assurances of a ‘healthier lifestyle’, all so nicely curated on your friends’ profiles. It’s as if everyone got together for some motivational retreat that no one told you about. And the advertisements, ever-so-curated to conveniently “help” us accomplish those coveted resolutions: ‘Fat blasting tea’, the perfect budgeting template, an anti-aging skincare routine that includes only 30 minor steps to achieve the best glowing skin of your life.
You’re thinking, “Ugh, what is wrong with me? Why can’t I just get my shit together? Why am I not the person that jumps up and is filled with enthusiasm to reach my goals or start a new venture? Please tell me what kind of magical motivation serum do I have to drink to become that person.”
Now believe me, I am genuinely here for the ‘new year, new me’ motivation that may hit some individuals as soon as the clock strikes midnight and the ball makes its descent in Time Square. I love that there are people who feel empowered and excited about the prospect of making positive changes and pursuing self-improvement. However, if you are feeling overwhelmed, and the prospect of making a ‘new year’s resolution’ or following through fills you with apprehension and dread, it’s okay to give yourself a little more recovery time. There is no rule that you have to start a resolution on January 1st or else you are surely going to spontaneously combust. Those resolutions can still manifest even if they experience a slight delay.
And let me be clear…
There is nothing wrong with you.
You are not a failure or a loser.
I know it’s hard to remember because society somehow manages to make a rat race out of well, basically everything, but we are all on our own timeline.
Just because you didn’t start now doesn’t mean you never will.
Maybe your resolution could in fact be to practice understanding and empathy, instead of jumping straight into self-criticizing (as we all are so prone to do), maybe that is actually a part of the secret recipe that no one tells you. Rarely has anyone ever made positive steps with blame and shame as their biggest motivators. ‘Slow to start’ is still starting.
If you do have some ideas about making changes, but are having some trouble getting there on your own, please contact The Mynd Clinic to receive some support. We are here to help.
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