A New Year brings new challenges and opportunities!

The festive season is over, the guests have retreated to their respective abodes and you survived! You’ve made it through the stress, the crazy family get-togethers, the masses of chocolate and ham, the questions, the traditions and the feelings of loss that bubbled up, raw and stronger than ever as well as the memories that you never want to forget. But, what’s next? We’re surrounded by friends, colleagues, family and those that always seem to have their ‘stuff’ together, bursting with excitement for the year ahead. It seems to be the time we’re expected to make grand resolutions and setting goals. How to survive this…?A resolution doesn’t need to be a new gym membership, diet or holiday savings fund… it can be a plan to simply ‘Be’. Be happy. Be content. Be in the moment. Be thankful. 

Dealing with grief is hard and relentless, and it’s easy to focus on the loss and the longing for our loved ones. It can be difficult to appreciate the beauty and blessings around us every day, sometimes disguised, sometimes in the most unlikely of places… but always there. It could be a smile and compliment from a stranger, a new book and that hot coffee on a rainy day, a delicious meal shared with a special someone or a snuggle with your beloved pet. So what’s in store for you for 2020? If it doesn’t feel right, maybe forego the pressures of making a New Years resolution and instead consider trying one of these New Years Traditions… 

It can be difficult to appreciate the beauty and blessings around us every day, sometimes disguised, sometimes in the most unlikely of places…

A Note of Thanks – This January, begin the year with an empty jar. Each week add a note with a good thing that happened. No need to wait for things that are grand and exceptional, it’s the everyday occurrences that sometimes hold the most beauty. If it made you happy, it’s definitely worth noting. Your child’s new milestone, the most amazing sunset you’ve ever seen, that 30-minute walk you finally made time for, the pizza that was oh-so-perfectly crispy or the release of a new season of your favourite Netflix show! No matter how small or random, once a week simply jot it down and add to your jar. New Year’s eve is the time to reflect on the year that was and all the beauty it held in the simplest of things, gestures and heartfelt moments. 

A Letter to ‘Future’ You – Everyday life sees us caught up in the daily struggle to ‘keep up’ that we miss seeing the light around us. futureme.org is a free email scheduling service. It’s pretty simple – write something today, and receive it in the future. Draft a letter to yourself, enter your email and pick a date to receive the letter – a week, a month, or even 5 years later. Your message is stored and encrypted. No one else can access the words you’ve written, so write whatever you feel at the time and have peace of mind that no judgement shall be passed. How the service is used is totally up to you. Send yourself future motivation on a weekly/monthly basis or include more detail and receive it a year later – the choice is yours. The process can be deep and reflective – explaining your current mood in life, worries, predictions and hopes for the future or just what’s on your mind right now, today. Life goes on, and you’ll likely forget your words written and when it arrives you may cry, possibly laugh, but most likely you will be amazed. Amazed by what meant so much to you at that time, how things have changed and just how much you have grown! 

So here’s to 2020… Whether it’s a new exercise regime or writing letters and notes to remind yourself to be thankful. This year take time to appreciate just how far you’ve come, all the exciting things yet to be achieved and most importantly, the wonder around you right now, be in this moment, today.

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