The end of the year is here. Can you believe it?! The new year/new you BS is taking over. Christmas isn’t even here yet and diet patrol is out in full force. They are shoving the Christmas stuff into the corner and making room for the workout videos, exercise equipment, diet supplements, and all the diet culture BS. This time of year brings up a lot of stress and anxiety around your body and weight loss journey. Why is that? Well, it’s a reminder that the year is ending and you didn’t lose the weight or accomplish your goals. It’s a reminder of the promise you made yourself last New Years Eve but instead of reaching you goal weight, maybe you’ve actually gained more weight!
The end of the year can be anxiety inducing when you struggle with weight, body image, and emotional eating.
When you’re not in a good place with your mind and body, the New Year represents all of the things you’re not. The weight you didn’t lose. The things you didn’t accomplish. All of the regrets of the time wasted hating your body. All of the food you ate to soothe your feelings. It represents all of the things you did wrong. So, now the New Year is approaching and you feel so much anxiety because there’s intense pressure to get it all perfect and that perfect HAS to start on January 1st.
Sound familiar?
I’ve been there way too many times and I get it. In this episode of the Irresistible You podcast, I talk about this and give you five tips to eliminate the pressure of the new year, new you BS.
1. You’re the Same Person on January 1st
You aren’t going to magically become a new person because the calendar says January 1st. Becoming a new person is a journey. A long journey full up ups, downs, and detours. You are the exact same person on January first that we were on New Years Eve. The only thing that has changed is the date. A date doesn’t undo years of emotional weight, negative thoughts, or change your lifestyle.
2. Kick the All or Nothing Thinking to the Curb
The all or nothing thinking is the reason why you think you’ll become this new person on January 1st. This is such a dangerous mindset. It’s the reason you’ve gained weight in the first place. I love the analogy about slashing your tires. If you get one flat tire, you wouldn’t slash the other three. Right?! Stop thinking of your weight loss journey as “day one” each time you overeat or indulge on a cupcake. You’re not starting and stopping when you finally kick the all or nothing thinking and see this as a journey. It’s the constant starting and stopping that makes you feel like a failure when you’re not! Allow yourself the space to make mistakes, learn from them, and then move on. Don’t slash all four tires!
3. Recognize the Power of Small Steps and Small Changes
How do you kick all or nothing thinking? You have to start with small steps and small changes. You can’t just wake up on January 1st and be the woman who drinks green smoothies, huffs Chia seeds, goes to yoga class twice a day, runs errands in $200 Lululemon leggings, and only shops at Whole Foods. Ugh, that sounds horrid TBH. That’s what we think of when we imagine creating a healthy lifestyle. That we have to live up to some ridiculous stereotype that doesn’t even align with our lifestyle or beliefs. No! Start with SMALL changes. These add up over time and lead to long lasting change.
Many years ago, I only drank real Pepsi…and no water. I couldn’t stand the thought of water or diet soda. I wanted nothing to do with it. Seriously. Water made me gag. Um, what?! So, I slowly swapped out real Pepsi for Diet.It was so gross at first and I was bitter about it. I was able to slowly change this out and now I cannot stand real soda. If you try to make all of the changes at once, you’ll give up and get frustrated. Hello, all or nothing thinking! Take small steps and make little changes to your life.
4. Be Mindful but Realistic
One of my core values is “be in the moment.” Don’t rush your life away! When you are mindful and present, you don’t find yourself saying “Where did the year go?” as often. This is about enjoying each and every day including special occasions and the day-to-day monotony.
You know what gives me anxiety? The phrase “live like it’s your last day.” That gives me so much anxiety because it’s unrealistic.If I have to live life like today is my last day that’s a ton of pressure! Plus, I wouldn’t be working or sitting at home just watching Netflix with my family if it was my last day. Drop that stupid phrase.
Instead, be mindful BUT be realistic about how much you can do in one day. You only have so much time and energy to spend today.
5. Write Down What You Accomplished
Take out a piece of paper and write down ALL of the things you accomplished this year. Put a column next to that and list all of the obstacles that were pushing up against you. I made a list for myself and couldn’t believe how much was actually on that list when I wrote it all out. Plus, I DID ALL the things on my list with a toddler at home full-time and no childcare while working full-time and running a business. Um, that’s pretty damn amazing if I do say so myself. Pat yourself on the back for goodness sakes. Stop focusing on all the things you didn’t do. What has beating yourself up EVER done for you but keep you a miserable prisoner?
Not sure where to begin? Journaling has been absolutely critical to boosting my confidence. That’s why I created The Irresistible You Journal. If you don’t have one yet, now is the perfect time to order your copy. Plus, it’s on sale and comes with free two day shipping for Amazon Prime members!
What is your plan to eliminate the pressure of the new year, new you BS? Let me know in the comments or come and share over in my free Facebook Group.
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Hi! I’m Aimee with 2 E’s. I'm a confidence coach that empowers women to love themselves by breaking down body image issues, so that they can lose the emotional weight and gain the confidence to look and feel irresistible...at any size.