Start Your New Year with Intention
It’s your life. Move in the direction you want to go, one choice at a time, with goals & goal behaviours to help you steer.
Embrace the New Year with Intention:
Cultivating Gratitude and Setting Goals
As we step into a new year, it's an opportune moment to set your personal GPS by spending some time thinking about where you end up. If you have come into therapy, it’s likely you have the intention of nurturing your best version of yourself – nurturing your loving, kind, trusting, untraumatized parts and bringing care to those parts of you that were needed before but today may impair closeness. Relationships matter and who you are in relationship matters. Let's foster a positive mindset that not only shapes our individual experiences but also ripples into the tapestry of our relationships and lives.
Cultivating Gratitude: Nurturing our Positive Energy
Gratitude is a powerful practice that can transform our outlook on life. When we practice gratitude, we practice reaching for positive emotions. Gratitude can be a bridge from negative energy to positive energy by shifting your focus. This benefits you and those you interact with, strengthens your relationships, increases positivity, and general life satisfaction.
Take a moment each day to reflect on the good things, big or small, that surround you.
Whether it's the warmth of a cup of tea or the embrace of a loved one, acknowledging these moments can cultivate a deep sense of appreciation. Gratitude becomes a guiding light, illuminating the positive aspects of our lives and anchoring us in the present. This practice is not one and done, this is a helpful life skill and we will revisit gratitude throughout the year.
Setting Intentional Goals: Who & How Do You Want to Be?
Consider how you want to show up as in your relationships in the coming year. What qualities do you want to embody?
Set intentional goals that reflect your values and align with your vision for a more fulfilling life. Ask if you would like a worksheet to work on exploring your values.
Whether it's cultivating patience, practicing kindness, or pursuing a passion, these goals become the building blocks of personal growth.
Showing Up in Relationships: The Power of Connection
Our connections with others form the fabric of our existence. This year, focus on how you want to show up in your relationships.
Cultivate trust, love, and connection by being present, listening actively, and expressing genuine care.
Intentionally nurture the bonds that matter most, creating a supportive network that becomes a source of strength and resilience.
Building in Self-Care: A Foundation for Well-being
Self-care is not a luxury but a necessity for a balanced and fulfilling life.
Identify activities that rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit, and weave them into your routine. Whether it's a quiet moment with a book, a brisk walk in nature, or a soothing bath, prioritize self-care as a foundational practice that sustains your well-being. When you fill your cup, you have more to give & share with others.
Close, Trusting, Loving Connections: The Key to Resilience
As you embark on this journey, recognize the profound impact of close, trusting, and loving connections. Whether with a partner, family, or friends, these relationships provide a safety net and a source of joy. Share your goals, cultivate a supportive environment, and celebrate each other's victories, creating a resilient foundation for the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead.
If you don’t currently have close, loving relationships in your life, bring this up in therapy if it’s something you want to work on. Studies show that at the end of life, for most people, having such meaningful relationships brought their biggest life satisfaction, and lack of close, loving, intimate relationships the biggest regret. Think about how people feel with you, who you want to be with them and for them, a supportive friend, a loving and caring mother, etc, and how you want to be remembered. Nurture the parts of yourself that match your values and learn to accept and deal with the parts of yourself that don’t. Develop greater awareness of behaviour choices and of the overall impact you really want to have on others.
As we welcome the new year, let's embrace positivity, gratitude, intentional goal-setting, and the power of connected relationships. May this be a year of growth, love, and moving forward, where challenges become an opportunity to shape the narrative of our lives with purpose and intention.
Darren Elliott, Therapy for Humans
