So we made it through Christmas and here we are at the start of a new year. A time when people are making resolutions or plans, and going on diets, or having “dry January”. Don’t worry, you won’t get any of that from us!
Personally, I tend to think you can make a new start whenever you want to, whether that be a new day, a new week, a new month, whatever. If there is something you want to change in your life, then do it.
But as we stand at the door of a new year it is an opportunity to reflect, to think about things we want to leave behind, things we want to breathe out and release from our lives and things we want to make priorities as we move into 2026.
Most inconveniently, my household started ‘falling’ with the adenovirus/the ‘super’ bug (FYI, nothing SUPER about it!) on 20th December…then another one copped it on 22nd December & I finally ‘gave in’ and walked away from my desk on 23rd December straight into bed. Christmas was officially cancelled. Other than that weird Covid ‘tier 4’ Christmas where we weren’t permitted to move from certain areas of the country…THIS was like a whole new ‘festive’ season and, other than the being ill bit, I loved it!!!!!!!!
As we had previously learnt, I don’t really ‘do’ the jollity of Crimbo; I’m not one for ‘playing along’ and smiling when that’s not what I’m feeling on the inside. This year I didn’t have to!!!!! I could legitimately be quiet; watch telly if I wanted to…admittedly GB never managed to get to Coffee #1 to drink festive drinks and continue with her Paddington activity book - but she did get to watch The Gruffalo whilst in a feverish sweat on Boxing Day (nice!)
Half the problem may have been that my Christmas jumper didn’t arrive in the post until the 27th December (ah!) - but I proceeded to wear it for New Year instead (a depiction of Freddie Mercury complete with Santa hat!) and that was my segue into changing things up! Even though I’m not a great “Christmassy” soul, I still feel like we ‘earn’ the break at the end of the year; but that was stolen by the virus and it is now up to me to re-claim that break that never really was!
So I am going to write some ‘downtime’ into my diary in January, which is about me taking some time out and controlling my life more; allowing myself time to read…walk…go to the cinema, whatever it might be.
I know new year will see me heading down to the sea to throw some rocks in, loaded with the negativity that I don’t choose to carry with me into the new year. For me it releases something when I do that. For you it could be the same, or it could be burning notes, shredding letters, or any other kind of release activity that helps you let go of held emotion – or even people that have a hold over your emotions. It is a choice that you can make to let things go, so why not try it?
Let’s not put pressure on ourselves to achieve unattainable goals, but let’s take a moment to think about what we want this year to look like. If we are releasing things that no longer serve us in this new year, what do we want to keep and what do we want to see instead? Can we think about the people and relationships that bring us joy and fulfilment, can we invest more into those? Are there things you have been putting off, things you want to do, but have been waiting for some reason? Could this be the time to start putting yourself first.
That’s definitely my take on this, a new year; the break of Christmas was obliterated by illness and January has begun to the soundtrack of a very annoying cough (I refuse to label it the “One Hundred Day Cough” - in case it hears me and lives up to the description - Nooooooo!) So I will endeavour to get better with each day and I will decide when it feels like I am ready to “embrace” the new-ness of 2026.
Whatever you plan for this coming year, or indeed the coming month, we wish you peace. Can you try to place yourself at the centre of decisions you make about 2026, and may only good things come your way.
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Hello Geraldine - I empathise on the Christmas/New year ‘lurgy’ - I am still struggling from it and had to cut short time away because of it. I wonder if, psychologically, we invite the ‘lurgy’ to legitimise our avoidance of the expectation to ‘be jolly’. The strain of ‘being Happy’ is very debilitating and can reduce the immune system.