3 Ways to Reconnect Your Mind & Body Post-Holidays

Jan 4

Written by Tiffany Lepa, NCC, LPC-Associate

Goodbye, 2021. Hello, 2022. We made it through another year - hooray! The chaos of the holidays and the end of the year can bring up a multitude of feelings like joy, grief, hope, hopelessness, confusion, and sadness. Sometimes these emotions exist all at once. This is a reminder to give yourself permission to slow down and take some time to reflect. Here are three ideas to check in with yourself.

Acknowledge Your Feelings
These past two years have been rough and, dare I say, unprecedented. Among the turmoil, you probably experienced moments of joy and pleasure, too. Sometimes it is enticing to look back on the year as a highlight reel, and you may feel tempted to stuff down “negative” emotions. However, feelings aren’t good or bad - they just are. Emotions are a source of information and can help you tune into what is going on around you and inside of you. Feeling the spectrum of emotions is part of the human experience, and acceptance of all emotions, even the uncomfortable ones, can help you move through them, process them, and let them come and go. So if you’re feeling happy right now and excited for the new year, that’s okay! If you’re grieving how the pandemic has affected your life, that’s okay too.

Unpack and Challenge Negative Messages and Examine Your Values
If you spent time with people over the holidays, you may have experienced the natural tendency to slip back into old thought patterns. Imagine this. Your sister made a comment about how she was overindulging in holiday “treats” and would need to make up for it at the gym. You have been practicing intuitive eating, but you hear that voice of shame creeping in and telling you that you’re eating too much and should compensate with exercise. Consider these thoughts with a sense of curiosity. Ask yourself, is this really what I want to do OR is it what I think I should want to do based on the input of others? Ask yourself, does this align with my values? Are these thoughts promoting the diet culture I am working so hard to unlearn?

Choose a Guiding Word
Though the media promotes the message of “New Year, New You,” what if we reframed it to “New Year, Authentic You”? (Can the diet and gym advertisements please go away?! I’m just trying to watch 90 Day Fiancé.) Resist the urge to reinvent yourself or to uncover the “best version” of you. You are already amazing just as you are and exactly where you need to be! Instead of resolutions, consider thinking of a guiding word for the new year - one that encapsulates your values and aspirations for living authentically this year. See some examples below.