Imagine it’s the first week of January; the dawn of 2020. How do you want to feel? How do you want to be? We all set goals and have intentions for a new year, and it’s a great time to make changes, to “start over”. A time to change how we eat, to include regular movement and exercise in our daily lives, to be more present. For so many of us, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are a time of great indulgence, we follow fewer routines in our personal lives, take less time for self care. We often seem to have lost much of the progress we might have made in improving our health and wellbeing in the final six weeks of the year.
But what if we were to arrive in January less stressed, having overeaten less, having maintained some sense of balance through the Holiday season? How would that feel? Could we start the new year feeling balanced and healthy?
This is our chance to do just that, and I invite you to spend some time thinking about how you want to navigate the time between now and New Year’s Day. We have the ability to be more aware of the choices we make, and we can choose when and where to indulge, rather than relinquishing any bit of control over how we live these next few weeks.
We can choose to be more present with our family and friends, giving more time and perhaps less material gifts. We can choose to share meals that include our traditional favorites, but we don’t have to choose to eat everything. We can choose to keep up some exercise, despite the busyness of the season. We can spend some time in quiet contemplation, reflecting on the true meaning of this season of light.
I wish each of you a Happy and Healthy Holiday season, and invite you to find time to stay present, take care of yourself and be able to enjoy it!