The first couple of weeks in January can be a bit daunting ~ kids are headed back to school, the holiday fun and gatherings are over and decorations are now nicely stored back in the attic. The practice of falling back into normal routines, staying busy and getting into new habits during this time is a great way to take your mind off the January Blues.
I love a fresh start and taking inventory of all the wonderful memories from the holidays. Despite the challenges from 2020, we feel extremely grateful of all we learned and still managed to do the previous year. In December I made concious efforts to unplug, and am now excited thinking about the positive changes that will happen in 2021. Congrats to you for making it through a challenging year!
Leonard Steinberg, one of the founding team members of Compass in NYC, had some great advice on what we can do to set us off on the right path and set us up for the year.
Remove the pressure you're applying on yourself to 'perform' immediately. It will come. It always does. Maybe adjust your goals a bit timing-wise. Give yourself some room to breathe. Adjust your expectations. Maybe you expected too much immediately when in actuality everything you dreamed would happen will just take a bit longer? A little patience can go a long way. Get moving. Exercise. MOVE! Stop sitting. We sit far too much in our virtual world.
Go outside if you can for some daylight. Tougher when it's very cold, so consider a Vitamin D supplement to compensate for lack of light. (check with your doctor of course!) January is a DARK month with short days, but each day, more light will come. Try something new. Anything new. It will stimulate your brain. Maybe join the 6AMERS? An early morning start full of enthusiasm and passion works wonders! Meditate. It works. Do deep breathing exercises.
Book your next vacation. With COVID, this may only be possible several months from now. So book something way in advance: it will be something to look forward to every day! Seek professional help if you are feeling really down. A little bit of therapy can go a long way. Many say it only takes 3 weeks to establish a new habit. That's just 21 days! Set realistic goals and expectations for yourself. It reminds me of a simple quote on my office wall:
Consistency builds discipline. Disciplined actions done consistently create success.
Happy New Year - here is to a healthy and prosperous 2021!
