Wellness Myths Debunked
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Happy New Year, and Welcome!
2023 was a very big year for me—I got married, I obtained both my CNS© designation and my licensure to practice medical nutrition therapy in North Carolina, and I had to chance to travel to Austin with my husband to see one of my all-time favorite bands-Paramore-in concert. I have a lot more fun things to look forward to in 2024, but I also have the daunting task of starting my own nutrition business and all the challenges that come with it. It feels both overwhelming and exciting, but the overwhelming part seems to be the dominate sensation now! I’m sure I’m not the only one here embarking on a project, starting something that scares you, and challenging yourself in new ways, so I thought I’d share how I am thinking about this transition into next year.
The new year often brings about this sense of renewal, rebirth, change, growth- all good things, but things that can sometimes feel forced or seemingly impossible. Resolutions intend to push us, help us work toward that thing, or those things, we want to make progress on. In years past, my resolutions have incorporated things that are more fun and recreation-based: read 20 books, practice French every day, relearn to roller skate—and they’re all great things to explore throughout the year, but they are also all time-consuming and task-oriented, making it hard to accomplish them all or stick to a regular routine when life gets in the way. This year, with so much on my plate, I am resisting placing action-focused demands on my resolutions, and instead welcoming in feelings-based resolutions.
What does that mean, you ask? I’m still figuring it out myself! But what I’m trying to do is think about how I want to FEEL this year, versus the things I want to DO or accomplish. From there, I can start to orient some specific tasks around getting that feeling. For example, I want to feel accomplished and less overwhelmed by all the things that go into starting and running a business, so that might include a lot more organization-based tasks like creating a detailed schedule for myself and working on structuring my time in a way that breaks things down into manageable chunks. This will also include scheduling in time for play so I can also experience the other feeling I want to emphasize this year: FUN! Perhaps you want to feel more engaged in your community or friend group. You could sign up for volunteer shifts, join committee meetings, become a board member to an organization you love, or just look to schedule time with friends doing the things you enjoy doing together. Maybe you want to feel more rested, cared-for, and relaxed: the tasks you may want to focus on could be regularly scheduling massages or exercise classes that you like, meditation, making time for reading or journaling, or setting dates with those friends you keep meaning to connect with. These are all just suggestions, I encourage you to think first about how you want to feel this year, what you’ve been yearning for in 2023, and then do some reflection on what that looks like for you in 2024.
If you would like some guidance or support in this area, especially if you want to understand which foods make you feel your best, get better sleep, understand, and eliminate your digestive issues, or reframe your thoughts around how to best nourish yourself, I am here for you. Consider booking a 15-minute call with me to see if we’d make a good team and start your new year off knowing that you want to feel fantastic!