Article & Images Submitted by
Bre (Stevens) Linzel, Dietician & Melody Land, Counselling Therapist at Bluemind Counselling & Consulting, www.bluemindcc.com
Bre (Stevens) Linzel, Dietician & Melody Land, Counselling Therapist at Bluemind Counselling & Consulting, www.bluemindcc.com
 Image of Bre Linzel, RD | As we've entered into February and the excitement and energy from celebrating a new year begins to fade, we are faced with the realities of the action required behind the ideas and goals we've set. This can prove incredibly daunting. In fact, most of us host a graveyard that holds the ghost of New Year's Resolutions past! |  Image of Melody Land, LCT |
Using the momentum of a new year can be a great thing when we're thinking about making healthy changes in our life, but the initial excitement doesn't provide us with sustainability. It often simply creates unrealistic goals: lofty ideas rooted in best case scenario situations but not real complex life circumstances. It can be like a sprint that burns our energy before seeing the results we want, which can be incredibly disappointing and make us feel like giving up. Alternatively, some of us make a lot of changes really quickly and see results, but as soon as the intensity changes (because we can't be 100% all the time - it's just not reasonable), all those steps forward turn into steps backward and the changes don't last. It's really easy to get in this all or nothing mindset.
If you're serious about caring for yourself, investing in yourself, in your mental and physical health and wellness, here are some things to consider if you're looking for longevity and lasting growth.
1. Stop making New Year's Resolutions.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the reality is that setting big goals often sets us up for big disappointment. Ignore everything you've learned about S.M.A.R.T goals for a minute (if you're not familiar with what that is, just do a quick Google search!).
Instead, consider taking micro moments daily and ask yourself, what do I want or need right now? Keep a notebook, a journal, text yourself, whatever the answer to that question. It might be a simple response: "I'm thirsty and I need to take 2 seconds and get a glass of water" or "holy Crow, I really need to pee!" Or "I've been sitting too long and need to stand up and stretch a little!". It might feel bigger like "I need to stop caring so much about what this person thinks of me!" Or "I want to call a friend, I'm feeling a little lonely".
If at all possible, whatever the answer is to your question, give it to yourself in that moment. If for whatever reason you can't, but it's something you can achieve later, write it down so you don't forget, and then do it. The idea is to initially start really small so you can get used to getting to know yourself and what it is that is really going to make your life demonstratively feel better on the day today. It's also going to create a new habit, where you become more aware of your needs and that it is okay to give them to yourself!
You might be surprised what these simple acts can do to your quality of life, and your mental and physical health over the course of a year!
If you're serious about caring for yourself, investing in yourself, in your mental and physical health and wellness, here are some things to consider if you're looking for longevity and lasting growth.
1. Stop making New Year's Resolutions.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the reality is that setting big goals often sets us up for big disappointment. Ignore everything you've learned about S.M.A.R.T goals for a minute (if you're not familiar with what that is, just do a quick Google search!).
Instead, consider taking micro moments daily and ask yourself, what do I want or need right now? Keep a notebook, a journal, text yourself, whatever the answer to that question. It might be a simple response: "I'm thirsty and I need to take 2 seconds and get a glass of water" or "holy Crow, I really need to pee!" Or "I've been sitting too long and need to stand up and stretch a little!". It might feel bigger like "I need to stop caring so much about what this person thinks of me!" Or "I want to call a friend, I'm feeling a little lonely".
If at all possible, whatever the answer is to your question, give it to yourself in that moment. If for whatever reason you can't, but it's something you can achieve later, write it down so you don't forget, and then do it. The idea is to initially start really small so you can get used to getting to know yourself and what it is that is really going to make your life demonstratively feel better on the day today. It's also going to create a new habit, where you become more aware of your needs and that it is okay to give them to yourself!
You might be surprised what these simple acts can do to your quality of life, and your mental and physical health over the course of a year!
Image of snowy Hopewell Cape in winter by Shannon Gaythorpe. 2. Let winter be a time for rest.
If you live in a place where it gets cold and dark in winter, now might not be the time for you to embark on a whole new life journey.
Think of what our natural environment does in the winter. Everything quiets, it rests, and it prepares itself for the springtime. In our region, snowy winters lead to better spring times because it adds moisture to the ground, protects many of the plants underneath whose roots dip deep, and provides what the soil needs for growth.
Why not take our cues from the earth and use the winter months as a time of rest, recuperation, and reflection without the pressure of action and outcomes? Take time to dig deep into who you are, what you like and don't like, the things you need, so you have the resources, energy, and awareness for the time when it feels most natural to do and grow.
If you live in a place where it gets cold and dark in winter, now might not be the time for you to embark on a whole new life journey.
Think of what our natural environment does in the winter. Everything quiets, it rests, and it prepares itself for the springtime. In our region, snowy winters lead to better spring times because it adds moisture to the ground, protects many of the plants underneath whose roots dip deep, and provides what the soil needs for growth.
Why not take our cues from the earth and use the winter months as a time of rest, recuperation, and reflection without the pressure of action and outcomes? Take time to dig deep into who you are, what you like and don't like, the things you need, so you have the resources, energy, and awareness for the time when it feels most natural to do and grow.
3. Build skills.
Competence creates confidence and confidence is the opposite of anxiety, self-doubt, and a wide range of other difficult or uncomfortable feelings.
When we're talking about skills for the purpose of this article, we are not just talking about taking a class to learn something new (though this can be really beneficial and fun - it can also create a sense of community, so it may be something you want to try!). In this context, we are talking about everyday life skills that you can "level up". It may sound silly but start small! Maybe you become really great at brushing your teeth, maybe you become the most thorough and efficient dishwasher in your household, maybe you were a great writer in school so you start writing short stories again, maybe you're great with numbers and you start practicing mental math at the grocery store instead of relying on a calculator.
If you want to push yourself a little further, think about what it is you would like to know, or be better at that would contribute positively to your everyday life. Winter driving skills? How to change a tire? How to use social media in a safe and healthy way? Brainstorm some things you've just never known, and take the time to learn it.
Feeling really competent and confident in your day-to-day living is a low risk high reward strategy that creates a foundation. That foundation builds lasting momentum!
Competence creates confidence and confidence is the opposite of anxiety, self-doubt, and a wide range of other difficult or uncomfortable feelings.
When we're talking about skills for the purpose of this article, we are not just talking about taking a class to learn something new (though this can be really beneficial and fun - it can also create a sense of community, so it may be something you want to try!). In this context, we are talking about everyday life skills that you can "level up". It may sound silly but start small! Maybe you become really great at brushing your teeth, maybe you become the most thorough and efficient dishwasher in your household, maybe you were a great writer in school so you start writing short stories again, maybe you're great with numbers and you start practicing mental math at the grocery store instead of relying on a calculator.
If you want to push yourself a little further, think about what it is you would like to know, or be better at that would contribute positively to your everyday life. Winter driving skills? How to change a tire? How to use social media in a safe and healthy way? Brainstorm some things you've just never known, and take the time to learn it.
Feeling really competent and confident in your day-to-day living is a low risk high reward strategy that creates a foundation. That foundation builds lasting momentum!
4. Become an anti-diet advocate.
Every start of the year, we’re flooded with messages telling us it’s time to reset, detox, shrink, and get in shape. This kind of messaging can do more harm than good. It often ignores lived experience, mental health, cultural background, access to food, past dieting trauma, and the ways bodies change across seasons and stages of life.
The start of a new year doesn’t need to come with rigid rules or unrealistic expectations. Instead of focusing on control or restriction, this can be a time to reflect on what ditching the diet and unrealistic expectations can look like for you. Nutrition information should be practical with no fear, guilt, nor shame. If diet culture has left you drained, overwhelmed, constantly thinking about food, or longing to feel more at ease with eating, there is nothing wrong with you, and healing your relationship with food is possible.
Unfollow, block, and ignore the advertising, message, and information that communicates you and your body are “less than”, and resist the urge to buy into anything that makes you feel any type of fear, guilt, or shame about what you eat or your body. Spend some time thinking about what a healthier healthier relationship with food and your body would feel like: without meal plans, calorie counting, or “good vs. bad” food rules. Focus on truly enjoying the food you are eating, eat more with friends and family, and if you do want help, make sure to get it from an educated and reputable resource that doesn’t buy into diet-culture.
Big goals (and big changes) can be really amazing and motivating things. And they can be achievable! Just remember, anything worth doing is worth doing imperfectly, it's the small steps and efforts that yield long-term, big impact results, and that there is no right time to make changes - there's just the time that is right for you.
And it doesn't always have to be on New Year's Eve!
Every start of the year, we’re flooded with messages telling us it’s time to reset, detox, shrink, and get in shape. This kind of messaging can do more harm than good. It often ignores lived experience, mental health, cultural background, access to food, past dieting trauma, and the ways bodies change across seasons and stages of life.
The start of a new year doesn’t need to come with rigid rules or unrealistic expectations. Instead of focusing on control or restriction, this can be a time to reflect on what ditching the diet and unrealistic expectations can look like for you. Nutrition information should be practical with no fear, guilt, nor shame. If diet culture has left you drained, overwhelmed, constantly thinking about food, or longing to feel more at ease with eating, there is nothing wrong with you, and healing your relationship with food is possible.
Unfollow, block, and ignore the advertising, message, and information that communicates you and your body are “less than”, and resist the urge to buy into anything that makes you feel any type of fear, guilt, or shame about what you eat or your body. Spend some time thinking about what a healthier healthier relationship with food and your body would feel like: without meal plans, calorie counting, or “good vs. bad” food rules. Focus on truly enjoying the food you are eating, eat more with friends and family, and if you do want help, make sure to get it from an educated and reputable resource that doesn’t buy into diet-culture.
Big goals (and big changes) can be really amazing and motivating things. And they can be achievable! Just remember, anything worth doing is worth doing imperfectly, it's the small steps and efforts that yield long-term, big impact results, and that there is no right time to make changes - there's just the time that is right for you.
And it doesn't always have to be on New Year's Eve!
RSS Feed