Nature is in the dead of winter, a season for rest, hibernating, laying low, and recovery. We are gathering our energy. Regeneration is happening, but it is still underground. The seeds of good intentions, good ideas, and massive change will explode energetically in the spring.

Traditionally we jump on this “new year, new you” bandwagon well because of two things:

It is heavily marketed to us to boost sales in a month historically low for the economy due to overspending during the holidays – overconsumption all around. So even though we might not be able to afford it, we buy in for reason no. 2.
Many of us feel so guilty for overindulging over the holidays on all the things we don’t usually spend on, indulge in, splurge for, eat or drink. We feel shitty emotionally, physically, mentally, and maybe spiritually because of the overconsumption and the massive vacuum created when we go from TOO MUCH to nothing in terms of nourishment, stimulation, socialization, celebration, and extension of our energy.

This cycle is so ingrained that we further buy into it because we know we will make healthier choices in January. Of course, many do, and it is possible to become a new you starting Jan 1, but don’t feel bad if you are not energetically on this bandwagon. From nature’s perspective, it doesn’t make sense.

Making resolutions, setting goals, and creating a new vision for yourself is the last thing you should do in this state of mind, body, and spirit. Making changes from a place of guilt and fear sets you up for failure.

However, we want to feel better, and we’ve had this urgency implanted that changes must start in January and produce results fast! This is why we buy into all the hype, sign up for a bunch of programs, challenges, and memberships, and set unaligned goals that are hard to keep up with after the first month or three.

So what is the solution to feeling better? We want to make changes and set goals from a place of gratitude, abundance, and optimism for the future. We want to stay present with ourselves and find clarity in our values regarding health and wellness.

January is an excellent time of year to check in with our values. How are we feeling about who we are? Are we living in alignment with our values? How do we want to feel differently? You can ask yourself these questions thinking about the year ahead specifically. Still, if you make lifelong sustainable changes, they need to happen gradually and strategically over time.

Sure, start a new program at the gym – get that boost of energy you need to go back to work, but don’t beat yourself up when you find that going from zero to hero in 21 days isn’t sustainable.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good challenge, but I never go into thinking I’m going to be keeping up the pace of the challenge for the rest of my life. I go into it as a curious detective – what can I learn about myself? What happens when I’m demanding my mind and body do hard things? How can I apply these lessons to my life moving forward? Is there some element of the challenge I want to strategically thread into my life on a more realistic scale or timeline?

A challenge can give you a lot of information about yourself, but it requires that you integrate it to make it sustainable and a part of your lifestyle moving forward. For example, historically, I have done a lot of 21-day detoxes, which provide your system with a break from sugar, gluten, caffeine, animal products, and processed foods. Now I am so clear on how I want to eat based on how I want to feel that I eat that way all year round 70% of the time. Sure I indulge over the holidays – mostly on sugar because that is my vice, but not as I used to and without the guilt.

Why? Mostly because I have done the work and I am crystal clear on how I want to feel. Also, I am very present with myself and go all in with my senses and enjoy the flavor, texture, buzz, and fleeting sensations of comfort I get from eating an amazing cookie. I stay present if I want a second. Because I am so present in my mind and body while consuming, I am already aware that this delicious food is landing heavily on my digestion, maybe giving me a headache and requiring me to drink water slowly to help my body process these inflammatory foods.

To be clear, I’m not against detoxes, challenges, and the new year hype altogether, but I know from personal experience and my clients that massive changes without integration go nowhere. What is more sustainable is micro shifts over time with the support, guidance, and accountability of a coach, community, or partner combined with the mindset work to give you clarity on your why values and intentions from a place of love, not fear.

Making these changes based on our values and focusing on how we want to feel vs. how we don’t want to look or feel is vital.

Do you value being healthy to live in optimal physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness?

As a parent, coach, and entrepreneur, it is essential to me that I can show up as my best self as long as possible to have a positive impact on the lives of others and enjoy my life to the fullest.

Are you happy and confident with who you are on the inside? If not, let’s start there.

It’s all about gradual, micro shifts over time that you can strategically thread into your life so that they become a part of who you are and not a checkmark on your to-do list. So sure, start now, but start small and give yourself grace along the way.

Join my free Telegram group, The Wellness Wisdom Well, to receive weekly audio inspiration to keep you motivated, making micro shifts towards living a healthier life and feeling better and more confident from the inside out.