How to Get a (True) Fresh Start at the New Year
We’re a few days into the New Year and if you’re like forty percent of the world, you made at least one New Year’s Resolution. And while many folks are shifting the language around ‘resolutions,’ opting for more positive and less rigid words like intentions or themes, this collective practice highlights the overwhelming allure of the blank page.
There is nothing like a fresh start, a new chapter, to inspire action around shaping the story of your life. And we’re here for it.
But, are we really entering into a fresh start? That would mean making peace with the year behind us and letting go of the previous chapter. Have you done that yet?
If not, you might find it difficult to actually get a clean slate, particularly if you’re bringing old wounds and unfinished business along for the ride. Instead of feeling ‘clean’ (or clear and non-attached) altering directions or striking out on a new adventure might feel sticky, foggy or heavy (insert whatever unpleasant word you associate with attachment).
What is attachment anyways?
““Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?””
Using words to describe how attachment feels in your body is one way to understand this concept. It’s unpleasant and we usually put ourselves in a position of powerlessness when we occupy this space. Attachment is when we wish or strive to control things that are beyond our control. Non-attachment feels better in the body and we use words like clean or clear or at peace when describing its sensation. Non-attachment means letting go of the outcome and trusting the process.
So how to apply that to your life in the New Year? We have some ideas...
Use an affirmation to invite in non-attachment
Use a simple phrase, repeated often, to help change long-standing patterns and beliefs or aid in letting go.
GoodWords: “With gratitude for the joys and sorrows of 2022, I am ready to embark upon new lessons and adventures in 2023.”
Work it out by journaling
Journaling helps us process our unconscious emotions and work through what we’ve left unfinished. (If you’re new to a journaling practice, read our Journaling 101 post.)
ClearMind prompts:
What lessons (or qualities, gifts, etc) of the previous year do you want to take with you into this new year?
Are there any unrealized dreams from last year that you find yourself mourning? What else needs to be grieved?
Which aspects of last year are you most excited to leave behind and why?
And if you’re ready for a self-care ritual, you can go whole hog with this one.
A ritual for a fresh start in the New Year
On a sheet of paper, list the joys and sorrows of last year. What lessons did you learn, what made you celebrate, what made you cry, what made you laugh?
Using scissors, cut each line, so that you have many scraps of lessons and blessings.
Put these slips of paper in a jar, bowl or other container and place it somewhere you see each day. Maybe on your alter, kitchen counter, by the bathroom sink or a table by the door.
For seven days, say a mental thank you to the container of last year’s lessons each time you pass it.
At the end of seven days, set aside quiet time to burn the slips of paper. (Pro-tip: use a metal or ceramic bowl and perform this ritual in or near a sink) If you’re fire-adverse, ceremoniously place the scraps of paper in a bag.
With intention, walk the remains of this ritual out to the garbage can. What we really want is for the ashes or refuse to be completely off your property, but it’s okay if you have to wait until garbage day. At the very least, remove them from your living space.