New Year’s Resolutions to Enhance our Wellbeing

The beginning of a new year is a time when we say goodbye to the remnants of the past that are no longer “us” and open ourselves to new resolutions to turn our life stream in the direction that suits our essence...

In December, especially on days with immanent energies such as the winter solstice, we turned to our souls, held a mirror to our Self, bade farewell to our past and prepared our core for the transformation we have intended. Now, with our creative power replenishing in the first glimmers of 2023, we are ready to make decisions to incorporate these intentions into our being for the year ahead.

Turns out, it's not always possible to put our resolutions into practice efficiently. Aside from the external factors in our life cycle, some of our decisions may be doomed to be postponed and forgotten for they are vague or too rigid, do not reflect the reality of our soul and require a deeper awareness. 

Therefore, it is valuable to be inspired by the refreshing energy of 2023 and make realistic and holistic resolutions that give us space and fit our essence. Here are some ideas that can guide these resolutions and render us wholesome...

Let’s Start by Returning to Present

The year 2022 has come to a bittersweet end. Now it’s time to wave her goodbye. To take the lessons we need to learn, the experiences we want to take with us and draw a line under the rest... To dwell on the past and focus on regrets or what-ifs, or to let the worries of the future cloud our minds, would mean missing the present moment.

Being present simply means we are in the here and now, paying attention only to what is happening in the moment and focusing on the emotions we are feeling at this time. Sounds easy to say, but it can sometimes be challenging to do, given how often we allow our minds to wander. Because reviewing the past, delving into the future and escaping from unpleasant realities into the realm of imagination is our mind’s most habitual habit.

So first of all, let’s start the year by trying to return to the now, when we realize that we are drifting away from the present moment amidst the voices in our head. It takes practice to recall this state of mind and to stay in it for a sustained period of time, but this realization, to say the least, will become our first “resolution” to return to the present.

As Beau Taplin says, “It’s not the resolutions you make once a year that matter, but the ones you make with every single breath.”

To practice being in the moment, we can create times and places where we can listen neutrally to the voices speaking in our mind. We can put all distractions like our technological devices aside for a while and meditate, journal, or go for a walk alone in nature, in such a quiet environment where we can just be present. If we can’t change places, we can also do this by allowing silence in our own space. All we need is to take calm breaths and focus on viewing ourselves objectively as we are in that moment. When all that remains is what we are feeling and doing right now, we feel more aware and peaceful. Concentrating on the one thing that resonates with us in that moment makes it easier to deal in a timely manner with any stressful issues that may be plaguing us for days or weeks. Most importantly, we gain valuable insight that accompanies our journey of self-discovery. 

And Intend for a Year of Better Vitality

Many of us are now aware of the value of body-mind-spirit balance for our health. The most tangible means of maintaining this balance is probably through our physical aspects. Therefore, “getting fitter”, which is probably a part of most of our year-round plans in one way or another, is also an accurate intention for our holistic health. But what’s ideal is that we decide not in vague or overly rigid frameworks, but in a way that is flexible, suited to our unique being and can be ‘transformed into a lifestyle’.

Balanced nutrition: To have a fitter year, we can start by adding more fruits and vegetables to our meals. Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins, minerals and proteins that support our physical and cognitive functions, such as vitamin C, folic acid and omega fats. To turn this into a lifestyle, we can experiment with smoothies each week with our favorite fruits and vegetables. We can assign each day a letter of the alphabet and include a healthy food from that letter in our meals. We can experiment with legumes and antioxidant-rich spices such as cinnamon or turmeric. Instead of caffeinated and sugary drinks, we can crown our days with energizing herbal teas or spa waters infused with fresh fruits. For snacks, we can choose fresh or dried fruits, seeds such as chia and flax seeds, and nuts like hazelnuts and almonds.

Steadfast exercise: In addition to adding strength and flexibility to our muscles, exercise stimulates hormones such as endorphins and serotonin, aka the happy hormones, which in turn improve our mood and sense of well-being. To incorporate exercise into our lives, we don't need to make the overwhelming decision to spend countless hours every day at the gym. Today, many activities such as hiking, yoga, swimming, wall climbing, martial arts are all within our reach. The important thing is to be consistent and focus on activities that bring us joy rather than a sense of obligation. For this, we can set short-term, for example monthly, programs. This way, we can not only take more flexible and transformative decisions, but also better identify the exercises that appeal to our inner self.

Moments of respite: Vitality requires serenity, too... Let’s set aside a part of our day just for ourselves, with no outside interruptions to distract us. Let’s sip on herbal tea from our balcony while admiring the scenery, or let the wind guide us on our short bike ride. Head to the Spa for a relaxing full body massage or rejuvenating hydrotherapy treatments. Let us make time for the positive simplicity in our flow, without getting caught up in the drama and stress of everyday life.

Quality sleep: Sleep is one of the most essential elements for relaxing our minds, regenerating our cells and maintaining our health. We also need quality sleep to truly benefit from a balanced diet and regular exercise. It is therefore valuable to go to bed at a consistent time every day and to be able to fall asleep comfortably. If our bedroom doesn’t currently provide us with the needed serene atmosphere, we can prioritize simplifying it by removing distractions and making it so that it turns dark and quiet when we wish.

Let’s Allow More Times for Retreat

The hustle and bustle of our lives might at time inevitably lead us to chronic stress situations. For example, we sometimes get trapped in long and tiring working hours for weeks on end. Despite our healthy habits, this might result in deviation in our balance and invite in physical and mental discomforts that we cannot solve alone. 

To avoid such situations, this year we can make resolutions to allow more space for spa journeys and retreats. For example, every month we can embark on spa journeys that appeal to all our senses with their well-equipped wet areas, versatile treatments and spa cuisines. On weekends, we can join retreats that bring us together with nature and offer holistic healing with many focused programs, from sleep patterns to stress management, from energy rejuvenation to detox. On spa journeys and retreats, everything will have already been carefully, graciously and thoughtfully planned just for us, so the exhausting thoughts and worries that plague our minds and our souls will be put on the back burner during our time there. This will encourage the “mental clearing” and inner strength we need to rejuvenate and stand tall against the stressful flow of life.

Also Reflect Our Core in Our Resolutions

As we set our New Year’s resolutions, it helps to consider what they mean in terms of our journey to self and how they fit into our overall life plan. Thinking with spiritual values paves the way for intentions and actions that are conducive to renewal and positive transformation, rather than behavioral resolutions that can be disrupted at any moment by negative feelings.

Self-compassion: In order to make achievable and tranformative resolutions for the New Year, we first need to accept ourselves as a whole individual being, from appearance to state of mind. As we mentioned above, our mind is more inclined to focus on our past, present and future negativity. And it does this most often when we make mistakes or when we don't fit into the so-called uniform mold of society, with self-bashing rhetoric. At such times, we should realize that it is not these voices that make us who we are, but rather our toxic thoughts that create these voices. So this year, every time we hear negative self-talk in our minds, let's consciously ask ourselves why we think these things and whether we would say these words to our loved ones. The answer will most likely be “no” every time. And feeling at least as much compassion for our self as we do for our loved ones will reawaken our innate self-compassion. Let’s make self-compassion a habit... We are not perfect, nor do we have to be. It's always possible to make mistakes. In such moments, turn inward with compassion and forgive our being and reshape our negative thoughts with helpful and constructive criticism. Let’s love ourselves for our successes and mistakes, for our light and dark sides, for the person we are. Every breath is a new chance and we can always do and be better if that is our wish.

Gratitude: To add spiritual value to our year, let’s add small gratitude rituals that invite positivity into our lives. For example, we can keep a gratitude journal and write down three things we are grateful for each day. These don’t need to have deep meanings that require contemplation. Small but joyful experiences can too enrich our day more than we realize. Watching the sun set serenely, having a favorite treat with our coffee, or even seeing a delicate flower blooming among the concrete is at times enough to feel gratitude.

Kindness: Just as we can be grateful for small moments, we can reflect love on the outside as well as on the inside with small acts of kindness in the same small moments. Sometimes even just a smile can lead us to contentment. Kindness and compassion are already impulses that come from our essence, and so is spreading it... This year, let's try to act as every day as possible with resolutions that spread kindness to our self and our surroundings. This can lead to simple but qualitative transformations that will heal not only us, but also our environment.

Let's allow the decisions we make this year to transform our holistic being, not just our physical behavior. And rather than thinking what we want to do while leaning on dispensable goals, let us focus on who we are and who we want to be in our lives.  

May the renewing and encouraging light of 2023 be with us throughout the year...