If you’re feeling like December has been filled with melting into the couch while you rotate between screens and eat baked goods in sweatpants, I feel you.
I had a weekend like that recently and I felt like an out of control mush monster. Low vibe is an understatement, and this leads me to the December Paradox:
December is the lost month where nothing matters because screw it, I’ll start my new healthy habits in the January. New year, new me, baby!….
We all know how this ends…and while I love the symbolism of a fresh start just as much as the next person, what I love a lot more is the idea of sustainable equilibrium.
Not only is this December cognitive distortion sinking you deeper into a hole of habits that aren’t serving you (lack of movement, increased sugar intake, blurry work/life balance, replacing self connection with mindless scrolling, not enough self care), but we know from the research on behavior that we create sustainable habits with small incremental changes, making the January 1 theory incredible, and why 80-90% of resolutions don’t stick.
Not for nothing, the December f it attitude is also exacerbating the internal disconnect between your mind and body, quieting the screams of your intuition that’s trying so hard to realign you and maintain balance.
“Nearly every habit you have today, good or bad, is the result of many small choices made over time. It is the repeated pattern of small behaviors that leads to significant results. Each day we make the choice to become one percent better or one percent worse, but so often the choices are small enough that we miss them.”
— James Clear
So what do we do?
Come back home.
Imagine this…
✔️Ringing in 2021 feeling really freakin GOOD – instead of feeling like you need to play catch up in January
✔️Spending the next few weeks excited that you’re prioritizing yourself – instead of waiting for the new year, wasting your precious life moments hurrying the future
✔️Building your confidence and pride by starting now – instead of looking back wishing you had begun sooner
It’s possible. Here’s how-
Find Community
Find a community of like-minded people who are growth-driven and show up.
The key to build habits that last is to join a group where the desired behavior is the normal behavior.
Countdown from 5
Mel Robbins came up with the 5 second rule, which is one of my favorite actionable ways to follow your intuition. Next time you get an intuitive pull to act on, or you have a decision to make, try it out. Decide between your options, count down from 5, and take action.
Move
To make a change often requires movement.
Next time you feel an internal ping that your current situation is not serving you, whether it be too many hours on the couch, too deep into an Instagram hole, too many handfuls of chocolate covered almonds, get up.
Change comes from movement. So get up and change your environment; take a breath in your room, get some fresh air outside, go grab your book off your nightstand, get yourself a glass of water. Shake yourself up.
Connect Back Home
Whether you feel completely disconnected from your body, or you just kind of feel like you’re floating, you can only benefit from connecting within. There is no right way to do this, but there is a wrong way, and that’s by forcing a practice that doesn’t actually serve you. So, try a few out and see what really moves the needle; journaling, meditation, walks, swimming, time in nature, stretching. Find a way to be in your body and connect to it somatically. This strengthens your relationship with yourself and makes you more likely to make compassionate choices when it comes to your well-being.
Feel like you could use a bit more support, accountability and guidance?
Learn more here.