Welcome to the new year! Forget January blues - with this new month comes a clean slate and an opportunity to start the new year mindfully for all the right reasons.
It’s an age-old tradition on New Year’s Eve to set resolutions for the year ahead, but this year, consider about changing your approach and being a little kinder to yourself.
For me, resolutions imply that you’ve done something wrong, and that it needs to be resolved with a new year fix. But in truth, there is no benefit of dwelling in the past, or feeling a need to repent or resolve the year gone.
INTENTIONS, NOT RESOLUTIONS
This year, instead of resolutions why not make new intentions that focus on the present and keep you moving forward.
Start simply and set intentions that support your everyday. It’s important that they are aspirational, but ensure they are also accessible and achievable. I like to call these types of intentions everyday aspirational intentions.
Whether it’s getting out of the house more, scrolling less, walking often or sitting quietly, setting new intentions for the year ahead is one of the most positive starts to the year.
5 EVERYDAY ASPIRATIONAL INTENTIONS
1. Get More Sleep
Quality sleep is your foundation to success. Get to bed earlier or sleep in later, and invest in ample periods of rest so that you can start each day energised and excited.
2. Don’t Sit For Too Long
For those with a desk job, it’s easy to let the hours slip by without moving. Take more mini breaks. Set an alarm on your phone, or a calendar reminder on your desktop for each hour. Each time it alerts you, take a few minutes to get up, stretch your legs and clear your head.
That small investment in movement will make a huge difference to your physical and emotional wellbeing.
3. Drink More Water
You will be surprised how impactful this little reminder will be for your day. Often we get so caught up in the daily grind that we forget our basic human needs. Grab yourself a reusable S’well water bottle, fill it up before you commute, and drink it up every day. You can never have too much water!
4. Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude
Start a gratitude journal. Start or finish every day by taking a moment to be mindful and grateful for something that day. You only need to write 3 simple things and it will shift your whole perspective on that day. It’s easy - you just have to stop and take a moment.
Also, if you have a close friend, family member or significant other you can do this with, it’s nice to write it down and share. Being a part of someone’s moment of gratitude will only make yours even more meaningful.
5. Cultivate ME time
ME time is a MINDFUL EXPERIENCE that is personal to you, whether it’s a long, slow cup of home brewed coffee, your daily walk around the park or an evening in reading your favourite novel
When we cultivate ME time, we put a positive intention on our own wellbeing. Find something that feels good for you, something you can do daily, and make the most of your time that continues to help you live well in the new year.
POSITIVE INTENTIONS FOR MODERN MINDFULNESS
When we establish intentions that affect our everyday, we form positive routines and allow them to infiltrate of habits and routines. Over time, when done every day, will not only change your day, but your whole way of living. This is the core practice of modern mindfulness.
@michaeljameswong | michaeljameswong.com | justbreatheproject.com
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