Year End Reflections

I want to check in with you. How are you really doing? It’s the week between Christmas and the New Year, and this can be a strange feeling time. 

During a long walk, I thought about this year since the pandemic started and many of us have experienced “stay-at-home” orders (some more than others), and I realized there is more than just staying home in our physical location. There’s a lot going on internally, mentally, emotionally as we “stay-at-home” in ourselves, and it can be uncomfortable. Like it or not, this has been a long year of opportunities to get comfortable with ourselves. 

I wonder if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now. Are you thinking about things that you wanted to accomplish over the past 10 months that didn’t happen? 

Did you decide at the start of this whole thing that it was your opportunity to finally lose weight or improve your health, but now you find yourself in the same place? 

Did you decide in March, like many, that you were going to establish new healthy routines, only to find your stress levels higher than ever? 

Do you feel like something is wrong with you because you’ve had more down time than usual, yet you feel more anxious and stressed than before? 

Are you feeling guilty for time that feel like you wasted? 

Do you just want to cry at the thought of this all continuing to drag on? 

Are you beating yourself up for not meeting your 2020 resolutions?

If you answered yes to any of these things, you are definitely not alone. 

These thoughts and feelings are uncomfortable, so our natural human reaction is to avoid them, drown them out. Netflix and wine? Check. 

But what would happen if we lean in? 

What would happen if we take time to sit and listen to the thoughts? 

Notice the feelings. And question where they come from and if they are true or not. 

What would happen if we just allow ourselves to feel for a while?

Friend, I want you to know that you are resilient and you have gotten through a lot this year. It’s no small thing to have gotten through almost an entire year of a global pandemic. Of course this year didn’t turn out like you or I expected. And even though we may not have accomplished the things we set out to, other very important lessons were learned in the process. It’s perfectly OK to let it be what it is. 

We can take some time to reflect on the things that we learned and the areas of growth that have taken place. Celebrate those things! Hang on to the good that you want to carry with you into the new year and the rest of your life. 

There is no need to rush to make new years resolutions and put more pressure on yourself. Just take some time to rest, reflect, and show gratitude for the past year’s growth. However, if you see an opportunity for growth that you’d like to explore, that is an option too. Since many leaders and health officials are urging us to stay home again, we have yet another chance to do some personal growth work. What habits would you like to form? What thoughts would you like to shift? What ways would you like to love yourself more?

As we wait for the storm to blow over, how would you like to make this time meaningful to you? 

As you ponder, take time to rest and do some self-care!

♡ Jana

P.S. If you’ve done your resting and reflecting and feel ready to take steps forward, exploring the possibilities of greater health, and if you’d like some support in that, I invite you to schedule a discovery call with me. We can chat and you can experience transformation. Start the new year having committed to yourself so that you can thrive in 2021. Click here to get started.