While we are as much the author of our lives in May or November, there is something about January that lights the grill of our motivation.
In sessions with clients, we often discuss the relationship with self and what it means to live in an “inside out” world—your external world as a reflection of your internal one. Realizing this can disarm blame towards others and encourage us to reframe our reality in a way that puts us in charge. For example, if you’re finding yourself in repetitive and unpleasant situations, perhaps it’s time to consider that it isn’t so much that “people suck” but that you are placing yourself in these familiar situations out of an unaddressed, chronic self-appraisal.
We put pressure on ourselves to exercise and lose weight when we haven’t reliably done so for years or take on a Keto diet after having had muffins for lunch. These aspirations can only be short-lived and exacerbate self-deprecating conclusions of failure.So here’s my advice:
do something REALLY SMALL, but do it consistently.
The key is consistency. It doesn’t matter how magnanimous the goal is, but to do one thing, e.g. taking ONE flight of stairs, daily, over the course of an entire year, will develop stability and calm where it never existed before. Consistency begets more consistency.
No need to push yourself to drink 3L of water per day when your previous water intake hasn’t been much more than catching snowflakes with your tongue. Nourish yourself with a small cup of liquid as soon as you feel the thirst signal turn on.
No need to go vegan or Keto. Eat how you normally do, just be sure that you fill a quota of one full-serving of leafy green vegetables daily. Take the stairs all the way to your 20th-floor apartment once, every Sunday. Do 5 push-ups daily, for a year. It can be anything but setting yourself up for disappointment. Set yourself up for reality in 2020.
Start small and let it build naturally. Add ONE small routine to your current (and unique) operation this year and master it. Remember: If there was only one way, there would only be one person.
Slainte.
Dr. Jenny Jun ND provides nutritional consulting and naturopathic medicine services at Pacific Wellness and is available for appointments. If you would like to improve your lifestyle or address certain health concerns please call us at 416-929-6958 or book your appointment online to arrange your initial appointment. The naturopathic appointments are covered by most employee benefits.