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| Let me start by saying, these are merely my own personal opinions! I just know what works for me and what my intentions are. Hopefully it prompts you to consider what’s best for you! For many, January starts with high aspirations to do TOO MUCH! Let’s try taking a different approach. Let yourself off the hook a bit. In my opinion, January gets to be a time to quiet oneself, turn inward and be calm. Especially after the overly packed holidays with too much to do, too many relatives, too much food and beverage and too little sleep. Now is the time to re-set, recalculate, and rededicate YOURSELF, so you can be useful to others. Here are some quick things I am personally putting into practice this month. 1. Find balance: Including mental, emotional and physical balance. We all have ups and downs in these categories. That’s just reality! It’s silly to think anyone gets through life without BOTH! Whichever you are experiencing, don’t just ignore it. Take a minute to acknowledge the emotion, thought, or impulse. Ask yourself, why did this feeling come about just now? Pause and actually feel it. Try to name the feeling! If you can name it, you can respond productively to it and not just react to it. Resist that natural urge to quickly act or react or avoid. There is no need to rush through this part. In fact, question anyone or anything that urges you to act quickly or definitively on anything! It’s not OK! Decisions should ONLY be made from a place of peace and calm. Think about THAT for a second and you will save yourself a lot of trouble! Tribulations are a guaranteed part of life. Sounds crazy but, embracing life’s trials can bring opportunity for valuable revelations and illumination! Could knowing that help us fear them less? When hard times are less scary, we can face them head on, pull them apart, and understand where they come from. Under the scrutiny of our mindfulness, life’s trials eventually lose their power to defeat us. They can just happen without all the drama. And we can learn something really important. Don’t miss it! This is where a regular (or remembered) practice of meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, journaling or prayer can really come in handy. And they are all great habits to form! For me, having a REAL conversation with God is my absolute go-to! I do it as often as possible! Sometimes all day! Do what works for you! 2. Find your purpose: Set aside a little bit of time for this. You’re not looking for the absolute meaning of life! But do a little digging here and get to the bottom of WHAT MATTERS MOST to you right now! What is it, and WHY is it important to you? An example of “what” might be you want to start going to bed earlier so you can get up earlier. Now ask yourself WHY? Because you want more sleep, which is healthy for you. You want more time in the morning, when you have more energy and are most productive. Less rushing, better rhythm, better routine, better state of mind. That’s a lot of good reasons WHY! When you figure out your WHY, you will always be moving towards your WHAT. Like a magnet! It just happens! It’s beautiful! 3. Develop healthy habits: Be careful, not TOO MUCH here! You want LASTING HABITS, not to defeat yourself right off the bat with too many all at once. Decide on things you can reasonably keep up. If your track record for forming new habits is not great, start with this week, this day, this moment. Don’t forecast too far ahead. You will build upon your successes from your present, daily and weekly efforts, and it will become a good habit before you know it! It will happen because of your discipline, desire and fulfillment. And that’s exactly why you’ll keep it going! TIP: Feed your gut good things! A healthy gut is important for strong immunity and good MOOD! Both of which are super important to have in these (long) winter months. Consuming small amounts of fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, pickles, and vinegar are all a good place to start. TIP: Things I’m integrating this month: Upping my Vitamin D (for immunity and mood) Drinking more water (oh how I forget in the winter!) Consuming less sugar (the holidays were very sugary, I must step away from the cookies!) Good luck with it! Hang in there! Spring is just around the corner! That’s a promise! |