Welcome 2022!
How are you feeling about this new year? I have had all the feels already, and we not even a month has passed yet. Enthusiasm, disappointment, frustration, tiredness, compassion, acceptance, contentment.
So much has happened in the last two years that we are still processing. Psychologists call it the "Pandemic Brain":
Credit: @Thepsychologymum And it's more serious and unravelled as we can expect. Therefore, maybe, only maybe, we could consider shifting, changing and adapting our expectations around New Year resolutions? I have been doing New Year retreats for years and I always used to meet participants with excitement, hope, drive to do what it took to make change happen and last. Now, we still hold that desire, but we feel that something is missing, or rather, we are carrying a much bigger and heavier burden with ourselves. Dealing with the unprecedented change and volatility that our brains aren't designed to deal with during the last two years ps: if you are interested in this topic, here are some resources where I have previously covered change management and our limited capacity to deal with constant change: VIDEOS Coaching Lab: - Implementing change - Navigating change ARTICLES: Change is here to stay So if we, in a way, are going against nature and pushing the limits of our natural capacity, maybe it's time we considered doing things in a different way, in a different pace, so we avoid burnout?
A little reflection I wanted to share with you as I went for a walk earlier this week. Words came to me as a way to capture the stillness, quietness, calmness and soft easiness that the woods were embodying: Surrounded by beauty Surrounded by mud Light still shining Warming my path Reminding me of the seasonal change and fluctuations Challenging the productive system we live in that tells us we can’t stop producing, doing, generating But when we listen to our body, to nature The messages are rather different Winter, with its shorter days and cooling temperatures ask us to go within, to incubate, to rest, to go slow and gentle, to replenish And those realities can feel strongly opposed, antagonising and brutally difficult to convey As we are part of the system But we are allowed to dance and sing our own song, our own rhythm, our own pace And when we give ourselves the chance to do so The universe sighs in relief You are now divine child have started to walk the path back home To tenderness, to softness, to love, to compassionate care and understanding Of giving yourself what you need and offer others a chance to do the same And find the chaos, the messiness, the broken pieces within To welcome them and integrate them into you As you keep walking towards the light After a very messy few days, I got myself back in track, plugged back to myself, walking my own rhythm, flowing gently and softly through the subtle frequency of winter, standing in my own revolution of respecting what my body needs regardless of what the system expects us to do, to be, to perform.
What if we gave ourselves permission to set a new pace?
AND if you are still interested in setting goals for the year YAY! We got you!:
HOW TO SET GOALS Objetive Setting SMART Goals HOW TO MAKE THEM LAST Make New Year Resolutions Work
Where are you in this spectrum? Ready to seize the year with new plans or ready to snuggle under the blanket and get that extra rest that you deserve? We can do both! We can go FAST or we can go FAR. As always, continue reading for the activities coming to you this month. With love and gratitude, Monica x