New year, still me!

2020 took us all by surprise, and no one could have expected the year to play out as it did. Yet somehow, through all the anger, upset, confusion and let’s not forget boredom, we got through it. If 2020 taught us anything, it is that we are resilient, and as much as we might want to leave everything about 2020 in the past, it’s important that we don’t forget the lessons we’ve learnt about ourselves. So, this year, rather than taking on the classic mantra of ‘new year, new me’, how about embracing the past and the old you. Instead of trying to improve yourself with new fitness routines or health regimes, take the time to reflect and accept yourself rather than trying to change yourself.

You may have heard the expression ‘your body is a temple’. Like a temple, your body and mind and soul for that matter, need to be built on solid foundations in order to stand up tall and withstand the external pressures of the outside world. If not, the cracks will eventually show, and despite new licks of paint, the damage and fragility beneath will be there. So, it’s time to strip back to your foundations, to get to the very heart of what makes you stand tall and strong. We all have a whole range of qualities, be that being kind, funny, hardworking, creative or something else. Think about the qualities you relied upon or the acts of kindness you made during 2020. Perhaps you rang your grandparents to keep them company, or helped to look after your sibling, or baked cookies to cheer people up, or even just managed to get yourself out of bed on a bad day. The pandemic encouraged those positive qualities within us to come out stronger than ever and as we move forward, it is important we bring with us the many, sometimes subtle, qualities we've discovered about ourselves.

My challenge therefore to you, is to write out the positive things that make you uniquely you and let this be your mantra, your personal theme tune, that you recite to yourself when you see yourself in the mirror or when you face a challenge. Sometimes recognising what’s truly special about yourself is difficult to see, as we are naturally more critical of ourselves than others. However, don’t let that deter you. If you struggle to think of something, speak to friends and family members and ask what they admire about you. You may even be surprised by the qualities they see you in, that you neglect to see in yourself. Once you’ve written this down, keep it somewhere visible. You could stick it on the wall next to your bed, on your mirror, or on the back of your bedroom door. This way you can be constantly reminded of just how amazing you are, and gradually, if you keep exposing yourself to these positive thoughts and affirmations, soon enough, you will begin to believe them.