Why your new year's resolution just won't stick

Do you try every year to set big new year's resolutions, only to have them fail within the first few weeks, or even days, of starting? There's so much hype around "a new year, a new you" that if you don't have a list of at least 5 bold new resolutions that you're actively pursuing, you're made to feel less than, or that you're just not driven or ambitious enough. But have you ever wondered why its often so hard to see these through and why they just don't seem to stick? Or why while social media influencers are telling you to "jump out the starting blocks" you're actually still just feeling exhausted after limping over the finish line after a hectic December?

Well, especially if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, just stop for a moment to look out the window or go for a walk outside, you will notice the deep stillness of nature around you at this time of year. January is still the heart of winter, a time when all is quiet and silent as nature presses the pause button for a few months. This is the most yin time of the year and so if we hold true the belief of Chinese Medicine that we are part of nature and nature is part of us and that we live most optimally when in alignment with nature's cycles, we too should be embracing our most yin nature at this time. So when nature is in hibernation, rest, recovery and storage mode, our bodies are actually mirroring this too, but we fight against it by trying to fit in with a societal model that has forgotten this important truth about our cyclical nature.

Winter represents the Water element, with its associated channels of Kidney and Bladder. The Kidneys are considered to be the body's "battery pack", so by charging your battery through winter with rest and recovery, nourishment (nourishing and warming foods, but also nourishing the spirit with meditation and contemplation), staying warm and with seasonal acupuncture (of course!), you set yourself up for the year ahead. 

​So, if you are setting new year's resolutions that include immediate big changes, upping your gym routine or doing a big body cleanse, you can start to see why using a lot of energy to start new things when your body is still in storage mode might not be ideal. In fact, you are in direct conflict with your body's natural cycle. Also bearing in mind that you've probably had a busy festive season with a lot of socialising, shopping and running around. So where is the time for resting and restoring if on 1 January you are already pushing yourself into something new and expending all your energy?

Rather take a page out of nature's book and press that pause button for a little while longer, your body needs the rest. This doesn't mean you can't be sowing seeds and setting goals for the year ahead. In fact its a great time to think about what you want to achieve and to set intentions, because even as nature rests, already it is creating the potential for the seed to germinate in spring. But no big moves just yet - everything will get busier soon enough, so relish the last moments of sacred stillness and down time that winter so generously offers.

Spring will be here sooner than you think, and that's the perfect time to jump in with both feet. Spring sees the yin energy of winter transforming into a forceful upward and outward yang energy which is perfect for new beginnings, for putting those plans and intentions into action, for upping your exercise routine. It is linked to the Wood element so take your cue from the trees, and sprout back out into the world when they do. It is also linked to the Liver and Gallbladder and the perfect time to do that detox and body cleanse. 

But for now, I encourage you to be gentle with yourself, light a candle, read a book, drop into deep meditation, soak in a hot bath, cook those nourishing soups and stews, exercise gently, stay warm and give those Kidneys the last few moments of time and resources they need to power up before spring opens the door.

A seasonal treatment with the nourishing warmth of moxa can also help give your Kidneys a super boost. Similarly, if you're struggling to align with the season, got the winter blues or are feeling like you're getting sick too often and your immune system could do with a tune up - think about booking in for that acupuncture treatment.​