Dare to Be Resolution Free
Image by Flood G.
Happy New Year!
This is time of year when the world-at-large becomes consumed with New Year's Resolutions. Understandable. We all want to improve parts of our lives and set ourselves up for success in the new year.
For those of us who suffer with anxiety, New Year's Resolutions can create additional stress and discomfort. With that being said, this is a resolution free message. A resolution free zone.
Instead of creating high expectations for the new year, please take a moment for personal inquiry. Take a deep breath and answer the following questions.
- What did you accomplish, or what are you celebrating this year? (small victories count)
- How did you grow as person?
- How did you care for yourself?
- How have you learned to quell your anxiety?
Only from this place of discovery can you walk through the gates of the the new year knowing you will continue to evolve at your own pace. Most people get so caught up in what's next, they forget about everything they've experienced and all they have overcome. Ananga's victories look different than mine. My celebrations may not be at all like yours. The scale of which we define our personal growth and success is sacred and need not be compared with anyone else.
This year I am celebrating every moment that I showed up with patience and compassion for myself and others. I have been an impatient person for a lifetime. If I had declared I will be a patient person all year long, I'd surely have set myself up for failure. Engaging in this major change to my personality means diligent, minute-by-minute awareness. Each day I start again to be a kinder, gentler version of me.
Rather than focus on enormous resolutions, consider avenues of self-improvement that feel right for you. For instance, choose one or two important areas you'd like to experiment with. You might choose to make healthier nutritional choices, or ramp up your self-care. You might decide to let go of a job or relationship that no longer serves you. You might choose to be gentler with yourself.
Once you've keyed in on what you'd like to experience, set your intention. Revisit your intention each day. You might post your intention on a sticky or record it on your voicemail, and listen to the saved recording every day as the new year presses on.
Additional self-improvement ideas:
Choose one fear to make friends with AND overcome in the new year.
Choose a word that describes how you want to feel in the new year.
This year I choose to make friends with the perfectionist part of me that scoffs at my wish to become a painter. I signed up for my first painting class without expectations (well maybe less than normal expectations). My plan is to show up, follow instruction and enjoy the process. That is all. I have been interested in painting for years. It's time to get in with it!
Declare your life as a resolution free zone. Share small victories. Enjoy the spaciousness you need to transform your life on your own terms.
- What are you feeling good about experiencing or achieving this year?
- What positive changes might you invite into your life in the new year?
- How do you want to feel in the days ahead?
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