NEW YEAR, NEW HEALTH, NEW YOU .... OR HIBERNATION?
I've had an interesting week talking with my clients and seeing different perspectives on New Year, and what it means to them. It's quite amazing how we can all see a change of date so differently, and the range of emotions and thoughts attached to that. It's given me food for thought as I don't see New Year as a hurdle, more as a starting block, but that doesn't mean I sprint...
It seems people put a lot of pressure on themselves about what New Year is about, and especially as it comes so hot on the tail of Christmas, emotions are raised and then a crash a few days later to alter them again.
I've never seen New Year like this so I didn't realise what others thought about this time, and I do wonder about advertising, peer pressure and the guilt of what we think we 'should' be doing.
Let's take a step back and look at what Chinese Medicine says about this time of year, it's specific to countries in the Northern Hemisphere (as China) is, you'd reverse for the Southern Hemisphere. They have Christmas and New Year at the height of their Summer Fire, so that really doesn't go hand in hand with reflection and downtime!
SHOULD WE BE DOING ANYTHING?
No matter that it's the start of January, and our brains are continually being told 'New this, New that...' and let’s not mention the 'D' word... yet.
It's the middle of winter, its dark late in the mornings and early at night and this is what our body clocks have been working with since we existed. There also needs to be a time of year for a virtual hibernation for our body and this is it.
We're in the season of Water - deep, still, replenishing. To replenish ourselves we do need down time. Yes, we all have to go to work but don't beat yourself up about having lazy evenings and weekends for the rest of January.
There are those with the go, go, go energy (some people are just born with more energy than others) and I expect they'll be like that the rest of the year anyway. Others will need to take this time to rejuvenate. Just like our phones we need recharging, and at this time of year it’s an extra-long one; maybe we really are solar powered and as we don't get much light we don't get as much energy to recharge as we would in July?
The Theory of Chinese Medicine has been working for 5000 years, I've been using it for around 15 and I feel it really works for me. Yes I've indulged over Christmas and I'm now telling myself to eat 'cleaner', so no more liquor chocolates :) But it doesn't mean eat less.
Winter is really kicking in now, it was pretty mild as we were rushing around during December, and now until March it’s really going to be cold and dark, so now we are in our body's natural time of hibernation. We were squirrelling away with food and goodies up till the big day, now we've eaten a lot of it, so now we can rest some.
If you have the urge to do DIY or cleaning, that's fine, if your energy is telling you to get up and go, then do it, but then take the rest time and eat the nutritious food if you are expending a lot of energy. Don't push, push, push.... push and pause!
(Nutritious food = stews, roasts, veg, spices, warming, fulfilling)
However if you are thinking 'I should....' but you don't want to, then don't. Your brain is feeling guilty because others around you are 'doing', but your body is telling you to rest up; so don't feel bad if you don't want to.
A lot of Gyms and Diet People will tapping into the 'New Year, New Start' but it may not work for you as your body's energy is just not in the right place to do this, and this is OK as the Calendar date really doesn't have anything to do with the season of rest and replenishment.
