Abandoning New Years Resolutions and Aligning with Nature Instead

Only 8% of people keep their New Year's resolutions, and most people give up before February is even over. Historically I have also been one of those people that never keeps a New Year's resolution. January has never really felt like a good time for change for me, but this year is the first time that it's ever really started to resonate with me as to why. If you are someone who loves your New Year's resolutions or you're one of the 8% that actually keeps them, keep up the good work! We're all proud of you!

I, like many others, get a touch of Seasonal effective disorder in the winter. Setting a new calendar year as this arbitrary time to start making a bunch of drastic changes has just not worked for me in the past. After the big countdown I still feel feel unenergized and unmotivated. This year instead of pushing myself to try to set a bunch of new goals immediately, I'm going to listen to the Earth, the environment around me and my body. January goals definitely go against my nature and they might actually go against nature itself.

If you are on my side of the hemisphere, January is a winter month and it is a time for rest, recovery and hibernation. Most plants and animals have gone into a hibernation or dormant mode. If you follow practices based on the wheel of the year, the winter solstice is a time for reflection and release. The cross quarter comes next in February and is a time for new ideas. Then comes the Spring Equinox, when you start planting seeds and cultivating growth.

Winter Solstice/January

Following this layout, in January I'm going to allow myself the space and the grace to rest. You are not failing if you need time to just chill. Even though I will be resting, I plan to also start journaling or keeping lists. I love lists. But rather than them being New Year's resolutions as things I'm going to immediately start drastically changing in my life, I'm going to write down ideas, hope or goals I might want to achieve this year. I might spend some of this time brainstorming or freewriting a couple of different ways that I might go about achieving those goals different steps that I could take but I'm not going to pressure myself into immediately acting upon anything unless I feel especially excited or energized to do so. The focus here is on listening to what I want to do, listening to my body not what I feel like I have to do. This is still the reflection process of the year.

As someone who is very impulsive or action oriented who does like immediate change for things, a slow burn process like this might not seem appealing. I hear you! Same! But I know that if I push myself too hard right now I'm going to just get immediately burnt out. So another thing that I'm going to do is start setting really small goals for myself. Maybe it's drink one more cup of water per day. Maybe to start going on short walks instead of going straight to extreme hiking. Setting super realistic goals like this might seem silly but it really is a way to build up your willpower to do something.

I have also kind of fallen out of my normal witchcraft routines as life has gotten a little bit hectic so some of my mini achievable goals are to maintain some of my practices but in really low energy, accessible ways. I do a lot of tea magic, a daily single tarot card pull, but mostly what I do is energy cleansing and protection. That way when I have the time and the energy and I feel the call to really pick things back up, that space is ready for me.

Cross-Quarter/February

The cross quarter or Imbolc is on February 1st. Around then is when I'm going to start reviewing my lists and my journaling. The Sun is going to start returning, there might be little signs of spring already. Doing a review of my goals, seeing if I still want the same things. If I’ve already started with my mini goals, I'm going to start gradually make them larger and larger goals. Making easy small adjustments to my now established routines.

Spring Equinox/March/April

The idea here is that by the Spring Equinox all of my intentions, goals, witchy practices and my Spring Garden will have little seedlings that are already growing. Instead of setting myself up to fail with a drastic shift in routines, I’m listening to my body and slowly shifting my energy to grow with the seasons.

So if you've already given up on a New Year's resolution or it's just never resonated with you either, it's not too late. You too might benefit from listening to your own body and natural cycles, and it might be in line with Nature's cycle as well! I seem to operate on more of a wheel of the Year/Spring Garden schedule. Feel free to adjust this as you see fit!