Ease into the New Year Slowly
Learning to be kind to yourself and finding value in stillness
I hope you are all having a blessed New Year so far! Though many people start off the New Year with resolutions and goals firmly in mind, it’s OK to ease into things slowly. This new year is like a blank canvas, waiting for you to create something beautiful. You don’t have to paint the whole picture in the first weeks of January, you have all year to create your new masterpiece!
Here in Germany, instead of saying “happy New Year” people tell you to “have a good slide.” It means, you are sliding into the new year slowly. You can have patience with yourself. Finish eating all the holiday leftovers. Let the kids play with all their new gifts. Stay in your PJ’s all day. It’s OK to still be in vacation mode.
My daughter starts back to school on Monday, and that’s when I’m going to start diving into deep work again. I’ve been working on a new book about the way women have been historically treated within the Christian faith called “The Slavery of Women” and I will be working on final edits next week. Then, it will be available for publication shortly after. (I’ll post another update when it’s available.)
2024 was a hard year.
Whatever comes next in 2025, I hope that it will be better for all of us.
Right now, take some time to sit with yourself in stillness before you decide what comes next. Go back to basics, as I am doing. I’m making it a point this year to focus on my health and on my family. Letting go of worrying about politics for a little while. Taking time for self-care and meditation. I hope you are able to do something similar for yourself.
Always being in a hurry can create a huge amount of stress in our lives. If you let yourself take time to rest and re-charge as you start this new year, it can provide a much-needed mental reset.
Here are some of my thoughts on 2024, as the year was coming to a close:
It’s OK if All You Did this Year was Survive
Winter’s Darkness is a time of Rest and Renewal
In many ancient traditions, the new year was a time of quiet. With winter snow blanketing the land, farmers were at home in front of their fires. They weren’t out working, the land itself was sleeping, and they did much the same. If we allow ourselves to come into harmony with nature, we can match our energy to the seasons’ ebb and flow.
The Earth sleeps in the winter. Trees are bare of their leaves, animals snuggled up warm in their nests. Take a lesson from the Earth and allow yourself time for rest as well. Then, as the days grow longer again and Spring returns light and life to the Earth, you can begin your forward motion again.
Finding your way spiritually
During these first weeks of the New Year, I have also been taking time to meditate and find my soul in stillness. The voice of the soul is still and small within each of us, and if we take time away from the chaos of life, we can hear it speak.
We are all spiritual beings on this human journey, but all too often we forget. We allow ourselves to be consumed with work, thinking about money and productivity. But you are more than your job or your bank account. You are a beautiful soul with a special light to shine in the world. Your work and your purpose aren’t always the same.
As the new year begins, you have an opportunity to go within, to seek guidance and inner wisdom about the direction you should take this year. When you meditate and focus on the spiritual path, you can feel the benefits in other aspects of your life as well. For this new year, I am focusing also on providing spiritual basics for absolute beginners. I hope you find this helpful in the coming weeks!
5 Spiritual Practices You can Start Today to Improve Your Life
When you begin a spiritual journey, you will find that your spiritual health can improve your physical and mental health as well. You can also find a more balanced approach to your relationships. The more you listen to yourself, the more you will have space to listen to others as well. The more compassion and kindness you show yourself, the more you will have to give.
This is your #selfcaresunday reminder to take some time for yourself today. Allow your mind, body and spirit to rest. Do something that makes you happy. There are all sorts of different self-care practices that can help you begin to feel your best. Self-care isn’t all spa days, massages and getting your nails done.
For me, saying no and setting boundaries is the most basic form of self-care there is. There can be so much external pressure on you at times that you feel you are being pulled apart by all the demands on your time. Everyone needs something, and they seem to need it right now. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.
If you feel this way yourself, it may be time to reevaluate your priorities. Are there commitments you’ve made that are no longer serving you? Does your child really need 5 different after-school activities? Sometimes, we say yes to everything and our lives get overloaded. If this is true for you, try minimizing your schedule. Eliminate one of the events you don’t really enjoy.
It’s possible to be a good person with a kind heart and still say no to things that aren’t serving you. Sure, someone may get irritated with you. But when they do, take notice. Often, the best people in our lives are the ones who accept our “no” without argument. They respect your boundaries without question. These are the people who truly love you and want the best for you. They love you without condition, without demand.
Often, these people in our lives are quiet. They aren’t screaming at you to hear them or take notice. But, as you come to notice their quiet and loving nature, you can appreciate their presence more. The best friends are the ones who like you no matter what, and are there for you without question. People who treat you with care and respect always. These are the people to make your inner circle. ❤️🤗
Make time for your health
When we get too busy, often our health is the first thing to get neglected. We skip the gym, drink too much caffeine, stay up too late to finish a project, or go through a drive through and eat in the car between errands. Taking time to slow down and prioritize can benefit your health as well; it allows you to be more intentional.
The sooner you decide to take control of your health and make time for wellness, the less likely you will find yourself with a chronic illness or other major health crisis. When we’re young, we don’t always think about this. But as we age, we come to realize that people around us are in and out of the hospital, and otherwise in ill health.
Being in poor health is just another symptom of a life that is overloaded with too much to do all the time. Combine this with chronic stress many of us experience, it can take a toll on your physical and mental health. So, take the time and invest in yourself now. This way, you can avoid that time in the hospital later.
I started the New Year off by going in to schedule an appointment with the doctor. In addition to renewing medications, I have a full physical scheduled when my daughter goes back to school - for the first time in 5 years. You are supposed to go every 3. I also got referrals to two other doctors I need to see.
Whatever your health is like, think about how you can make it a priority today. Do something easy like committing to drink more water, or floss your teeth daily. When you start small, new habits are easier to commit to.
Also, starting an exercise program is a great way to begin the New Year, too. But you don’t need an expensive gym membership to do it.
4 Easy Exercise Programs You can Start Today
If you are looking to be in your best health in 2025, Healthline provides the following Top 10 Tips for Staying Healthy:
1. Get moving
2. Eat more whole foods (and less processed food)
3. If you smoke, try to quit
4. Make sleep a priority
5. Stay hydrated
6. If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly
7. Make preventive care a priority
8. Know your numbers
9. Manage stress in a healthy way
10. Practice safe sex
By focusing on basic health tips, you can feel better and have more energy. You can stay healthier longer, and as you age you will be able to stay more active in your later years. Instead of having to worry about sickness later in life, you can prevent many diseases by making simple lifestyle adjustments today.
I know it seems like a lot. But if you pick one thing to focus on in the New Year, it’s easier to direct your attention in the way you want to go. Instead of setting a long list of goals for yourself, just set one. This way, you will be able to achieve more than if your effort is scattered in 100 different directions.
When I started working with a life coach years ago, the first thing she had me do was reduce my daily to-do list to only 3 items. Then, when it was checked off, she told me to celebrate that I did it. Do something good for myself. And feel OK stopping after that. Remember, stillness and rest have value. Your body needs sleep for a reason.
You don’t need to push yourself to always be doing more. For once, try doing less instead.
I hope you are all having a lovely new year so far! Let me know in the comments what you want me to focus on writing about in 2025, and I will be happy to deliver.
All the best,
Nicole Dake
Thanks for these great and important tips, Nicole!