A New Year, A New Me!

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Two dogs with Champagne

I’m one of those people that wants to start off the new year with a new beginning, a new lease on life. Not necessarily to throw away what I’ve got going, but to shed what’s not working and make life even better.

I generally love the excitement of a new year. For me, it means new experiences, people, and opportunities that I’ve not had before. Things to learn. Fun to discover. And a way to have even more joy in my life.

Karl and I spent our last days of 2022 skiing in Golden, BC with some dear friends, one from high school, and I, unfortunately, ended up with food poisoning a few days before January 1st. I slept through New Year’s Eve.

I usually spend the last week of December appreciating and thinking about all the adventures Karl and I did throughout the year and celebrating my personal accomplishments. This year I was too busy keeping water and food down.

Today is my first day back to work after the holidays. My stomach is finally, for the most part, stable. And, I’ll be honest, I’m feeling extremely anxious and slightly depressed about going back to work. I got up early because I couldn’t sleep, a feeling of dread about how full my work email inbox is going to be.

Nope…not going to fall for it. Not going to allow my brain to dwell in this place.

I have found some strategies over the years that work for me when I have moments of fear, anxiety, stress, or depression, like most of us do at times.

Because I hold these feelings in my stomach, I feel a tight knot there. I start by taking a deep breath forcing my belly to expand as much as it can and then I breath out pulling it in as much as I can. Basically, I’m stretching out my stomach thereby physically releasing the muscles. This physical release let’s my brain release too.

With my body feeling relaxed, I continue to breath while telling myself I’m safe and everything is ok. I also gently tell myself it is ok to let go.

Ahhh, now I can face logging into work with no expectations.

It is hard to let go of things sometimes. Expectations. Fears. Desires. Anger. But, what I’ve learned, and I’m certainly no expert here, is that these things don’t bring about a joyful life so for me finding ways and strategies to release them is key.

If you’re still reading, thank you. You’ve helped me discover my focus this year.

It is about being aware of where I’m at and letting go of the destructive and negative emotions and energy as quickly as I can. And get to a productive, constructive, and positive place quickly. I want to get faster at this process thereby spending less time in that angsty unproductive place.

Ohhhh I love it!

Challenge accepted!

Happy New Year everyone. Wishing you much joy in 2023!

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