For many, the end of the year brings significant stress: the pressure of wrapping up projects, emotional stressors, financial strains. And yet, it is followed by a rush of making resolutions of things to be accomplished in the following year.
For some, the appeal of the “clean slate” of a new year is too good to pass up, they are excited to jump into a new habit or adventure. But for others, proclamations of change come from a place of having measured themselves against some standard and been found lacking.
There are those who flat out refuse to make a resolution, often to protect themselves from the disappointment of failure or to avoid putting one more thing on their never-ending to-do list.
So the year ends with stress and starts anew… with stress.
This would be bleak if the story ended there.
The truth is, you may fall into one group one year and another the next. It isn’t set in stone. But if you are struggling this year, feeling stressed at work or in life, this next option may align more closely to something that could have a true lasting impact on your life.
Drop the idea of a resolution for one minute.
Drop the idea of making yourself smarter, richer, thinner, healthier, more consistent, less irritated, or “better” in any way, shape or form.
Drop any need to change yourself.
Are you starting to twitch?
If none of that mattered, what could you do over the next 24 hours, the next week, month or year to take care of yourself?
If your only job this year was to take care of someone you love, what would the first step be?
Take out a piece of paper and write this on the top.
“What do I need this year, from me, to be taken care of? How can I best care for myself?”
And then start the list. Come up with ideas, maybe one is all you need, maybe you need to brainstorm multiple ideas until one hits you upside the head.
We get angry when others treat us with a lack of concern, or respect, or care and yet we do the exact same.
Can you treat yourself with care?
I challenge you to reframe the idea of resolutions this year. Resolve to care for yourself with patience and compassion, as you would for someone else. Maybe caring for yourself is making different choices for your health. Can you do this from a place of care instead of harsh self-judgement? Can you keep caring for yourself, even when you “mess up”?
Maybe caring for yourself is doing MORE…or maybe it is doing less.
What action could you take to support yourself during your struggles?
What if 2025 is a year of healing and peace?
What if you are the catalyst for both?
P.S. Do you struggle with caring for yourself? Does the idea of it stress you out? First, let me reassure you that this is normal, especially as a caregiver. If you are ready to prioritize your own health and wellbeing, if you know that this is what it is going to take to finally see some change in your life, reach out to schedule a time for a free consultation call. During this time, we look at the things in your life that are tripping you up and where you want to be. Then we find a direct path from one to the other. Even if we decide not to work together, the time spent on the call is not wasted. You will gain so much clarity and self awareness through the conversation that it can be healing in and of itself. I hope you reach out. You don’t need to keep feeling the way that you do.
Let’s make 2025 the year things actually change for you.
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