New Year, New Me?

Synonymous with being wished “Happy New Year!”, you’ll probably be asked ‘what are your New Years resolutions??’. We quickly go into the mode of obsessively thinking  “I’ll start working out, I’ll reduce my caffeine intake, I’ll read one book a month, I'll stop eating out.” While these all sound like great and wonderful things, sometimes the word resolution puts too much pressure on the goal which, in turn, takes the joy out of the entire journey. It's supposed to be fun, right?

Let’s start the New Year with reframing the thought of New Year’s Resolutions into New Years Intentions. Be intentional about your relationships, be intentional about your self care, be intentional about caring for your mental and physical health. Intentions don’t tell us to change who we are, they guide us gently in the direction where we would like to be. 

Need more structure than just a general intention? Set an intention for each area of your wellbeing. For example, set an emotional intention, a spiritual intention, a physical health intention, and an intellectual wellness intention. If multiple intentions are too much, just focus on one. Shifting your mindset helps us physically and emotionally regardless. Viewing the year through this lens gives you more flexibility and increased joy on your journey throughout the year. As long as your behaviors are aligned with what intentions you have set, you’re doing what you have intended to do! Success!

Maybe you set your physical wellness intention to feel stronger by the end of the year. You could find peace through hiking, freedom in biking, or confidence in weight lifting. Resolutions like “going to the gym 5 days a week” limit us and create a pigeon hole that we may not enjoy and eventually we quit the goal. Try shifting your perspective and see what you discover about yourself in the next 365 days!  

• Rebecca Ryberg, MS, LPC