The new year is quickly approaching, and people are gearing up to make plans for change. However, the New-Year-New-You mindset can set us up for feeling shame and guilt if we perceive that we “failed.”
What if this year, you set intentions that may not feel so black and white or pass/fail? What if you allowed yourself the space to explore what you would like to be different, while taking a more progress-over-perfection approach?
You’re likely already navigating stressful things on a daily basis; it’s ok to choose not to add another thing to your task list. Our Atlanta counselors have compiled some ideas for a no-pressure New Year.
Ditch the Diets
It’s no secret that our society has projected the idea of a “preferred” body type. Often, this body shape is not realistic for most people. Diets perpetuate weight stigma and self-criticism.
If you are concerned about your relationship with food, why not consult with an Intuitive Eating informed holistic nutritionist? Investing in learning to love the body you have or changing your relationship with food is a healthier approach to wellness than trying to follow the latest crash diet or running yourself ragged at the gym.
Focus on Vision
Though the new year typically brings resolutions, those resolutions can be abstract without any real plan to reach them. And when the resolutions aren’t met or there are regressions, you can feel flooded with shame and guilt or choose to simply give up because you feel like you’re incapable of consistency.
Instead, focus on your vision for the year. Make a vision board. Decide what your life looks like within the bounds of what you can control. What do your relationships look like? What do you have to do to get closer with your friends or be the sister/uncle/grandma you want to be?
What is your vision for your business? What appeals to you about that vision?
Working toward a vision means that you understand you’re always in process. If you’re in process, you can’t fail. If you feel like you can’t fail, you’re less inclined to give up.
Commit to Accepting Your Current Limits
Now, we’re not suggesting that you HAVE to be content with the status quo or that you “shouldn’t” reach beyond what you have now. Accepting your current limits may look like:
- Making peace with only being able to take a 15-minute walk instead of a 60-minute walk due to work and family time constraints.
- Not feeling like a failure if you can’t take your business from $14,000 to $150,000 in profit in one year.
- Honoring your body if you’re hungry
- Honoring your body if you want to run but your pain level doesn’t allow for it
- Accepting that a black-and-white resolution of “I’ll never lose my temper again” is unrealistic and changing behaviors is a process
- Remembering it takes time to be proficient in a new skill
Our Atlanta counselors want to encourage you to remember that you are enough. No kept or missed New Year’s resolution is going to increase or decrease your inherent value. Changes are sometimes necessary though, and they can be hard. We are here to meet you wherever you are, without judgment, to support you as you move forward. Call today to set an appointment.
