2021, here I am.

As we begin the year, it is difficult not to notice the similarities between 2020 and the beginning of 2021. It feels like nothing has changed. Routines feel the same. We can’t spend time with those we love. We continue fearing the safety of our physical health and that of our loved ones and friends. I’ve heard many say, “It doesn’t feel like a new year,” which is something I’ve also said myself. The ambiguity of the new year can be debilitating and can create a lack of motivation for change. So how can we heal from 2020? How can we increase our motivation and challenge the negative thoughts that arise?

Well, let us begin by acknowledging that WE SURVIVED 2020!!!! And guess what?! That is enough. No room for shame here. No need to shame ourselves for the things we didn’t get around to or do this past year. No room for guilt, either! Tell those thoughts of shame and guilt that you no longer need their service.

Now, we can focus on how we want things to be different for ourselves. We get to choose that. We get to decide how we feel, how we think, and how we respond. That is our power. So here are a few things I have listed that I am choosing for myself. Feel free to make a list or take any of the ones I listed that resonate with you.

• I choose hope.

• I choose love.

• I choose to live with intention.

• I choose to be kinder to myself and others.

• I choose to have self-compassion and give compassion.

• I choose to forgive myself for the mistakes I will make.

• I choose not to judge myself for not exercising or for eating the last cookie!