A new approach to the New Year: leaving New Year’s Resolutions behind and embracing heart-centered intention
As we launch into a new year…
I invite you to release any pressure you're putting on yourself to make 2024 your best year yet.
Or to make grand resolutions, or the perfect intentions, or the right goals.
Or any other expectation (external, or internal) that may end up fueling shame, self-doubt, overwhelm, and the very patterns you're trying to break.
Permission to set expectations aside and instead, tune into yourself to clarity:
what medicine do you need? What do you want for yourself this year?
For more reflection questions, scroll to the bottom. If you're wondering about this intriguing photo, here's the story.
The above is a screenshot of me on New Year's eve. At the very last minute (literally...it was about 11:05pm on December 31st) I made the decision to align my actions with my deep desire to ring in the New Year with energy, sovereignty, and vitality.
My partner and I found a dive bar and made it there before midnight. We played a close round of darts (I definitely lost). Kyle filmed me on stage singing Dreams by The Cranberries. I can't even describe the joy I felt singing that song (and a smidge of stage-fright).
If you know me, I'm the homebody type who rarely goes out. Not particularly spontaneous.
This year, I'm in pursuit of less thinking, more feeling. Less over-thinking, more embodied action.
The saboteur in me almost won that night (...I felt let down by my lack of planning and was very close to crawling into bed). But in a split second I stepped back into alignment and made the heart-centered choice: we're going!
The best part of this new year's eve wasn't what I did, but the why behind it. This choice I made, to celebrate, represents me moving toward who I want to be.
I tuned into my heart, said YES to the medicine of the moment, and ultimately honored myself. I followed through. And this energy is setting a hopeful tone for the rest of the year. (If you haven't done this for yourself yet, don't fret! You can do it this week. Scroll down to check out my reflection questions).
THIS is the power of throwing "shoulds" out the window and letting your own body be your leader.
I stopped setting actual resolutions YEARS ago. Because they emerged more from fear, shame and "not good enough" than from love. I made resolutions because..."that's what you do." And it didn’t feel good.
The resolutions I used to set mirrored a "last supper" mentality
"I'll start tomorrow! Tomorrow I will be good! Tomorrow I will fix myself! Today I will continue treating myself poorly without realizing it!" (a dramatized example of the unconscious self-talk fueling those resolutions).
Through many years, this type of energy has dissolved. I have de-fused my personal desires from the collective pressure to better myself in exchange for acceptance, compassion, and understanding toward myself.
Instead of making resolutions, I invite intention, desire, and heartfulness.
I no longer pressure myself to reach certain milestones. I avoid setting precise goals like "read 20 books" or "hike 10 trails," because these only fuel my perfectionism and self-criticism. I focus more on states of being, values, and desires.
I ask myself questions such as:
- What do I hope for this year?
- What are my mantras for the year? What feels important for me to remember and focus on moving forward?
- What seeds am I planting?
- Where do I want to put my energy, time, attention, and money?
- In what areas am I hoping to expand?
- What didn't work last year that I could approach differently this year?
- What worked well last year that I want more of?
I hope the last few weeks have brought you space to pause, slow down, enjoy, connect, and embrace the Yin energy of these darkest days. And to begin the new year in a way that truly serves your vitality. Here’s to taking the path not of least resistance, but of best medicine.
Dr. Savannah is a Naturopathic Physician licensed in Washington state, NARM practitioner, and Yoga Teacher inspired to offer root-cause healing, holistic healthcare, and personalized treatments for the whole person. She is passionate about teaching her clients how to become self-healers and reclaim their innate, embodied wisdom to move toward greater vitality.
If you’re curious about making a shift in your own health and healing, click the button below to inquire about working with Dr. Savannah