I’m all about moving gently these days. Maybe it’s my achy hip. Maybe it’s that meme that going around about 2021.  

I’m working my way through some aches and pains resulting from these months of cooped up inactivity and the fact that my gym is closed - plus more than a bit of just getting older. I walk outdoors most days but I miss the strength training and stretching I was doing in the gym. My “at home” yoga and stretching practice has been pretty hit and miss. 

It seems 2020 hit many of us like that. We’re all feeling the aches and pains of a long hard year. I heard it from many of you who responded to my How to cope with Pandemic Anxiety post. Symptoms of anxiety and depression are showing a marked increase, according to recent news reports, as we all try to cope with this new reality.

In the world of career work, many are still working from home, while others are waiting from home - hoping to be called back to work. Many have been permanently laid off. The self- employed are facing income loss or, for some, a complete loss of their business. It’s been a  lot. 

We are all hoping that this New Year brings more hope, health, and positive change to so many.  

Maybe the meme is right - we all need to move into this new year taking it slow and easy.

What are some ways we can move gently into this new and hopefully happier, healthier, more abundant year?  I’m sharing a few ideas today. Pick the ones that resonate with you. 

1. Give yourself the gift of a slow first week.

We usually create a plan to tackle our resolutions first thing out of the box - whether it’s starting an exercise or healthy eating program, writing 2000 words a day on that book we’re finally going to finish this year, or changing our life for the better in so many different ways. We are ready to go gangbusters on day 1 - January 1st.  And for too many, we miss the few first days because - life - and feel like we have failed before the year has even begun.

So again - be gentle with yourself.  Give yourself a week to walk slowly and gently into 2021. 

For sure, make a list and set some new intentions  - but realize that you need a week or so to clear the holiday debris and get back in the normal workflow. Straighten up your office. Make a list of things that need to be completed in January.  Begin with some meditation to settle your thoughts. Have a cup of tea. Go for a slow walk. 

Make it a slow but intentional week. This is not an excuse to binge The Mandalorian or re-watch Game of Thrones. Choose slow, deliberate practices to gently focus your plans for the new year.  Remember to breathe. Settle back in. It’s a new year.

2. Clarify your values.

Counselors and coaches talk about this all the time. What does it mean to clarify your values? It means to think about what’s really important to you in the long run. If we learned anything in 2020, it’s that difficult times teach us what really matters.

What are the lessons you learned in 2020? What values do you want to focus on in the coming year? 

Here’s a simple exercise to sort out your values. Take a look at this free extensive master list of values.

Read through it and write down the values that resonate with you - that make you say “yes!” when you read the word. Make a list of 10 to 15 values that are important in your life. and then rank them, starting with the least important. Give each value a number - with one being the most important.

What values ended up at the top of the list? Pay particular attention to numbers 1-4. How can you live out those values in 2021? What changes do you need to make to embody those values in your life? 

3. Choose one new self-care or self-improvement practice. Just one. 

Find a new practice. whether it’s meditation, yoga, prayer, checking in with a friend each week, a 30-minute daily walk, whatever. Choose one gentle practice that might take 15-30 minutes each day and commit to it. Maybe not for the whole year, but for 3 weeks. While the “it takes 21 days to change a habit theory” has been partially debunked, three weeks is the perfect amount of time to try out a new practice and see if you like it. You might choose yoga and then realize that you would rather focus simply on meditation. You might begin a couch to 5K running program and realize that walking is more your speed. So commit to your practice for 3 weeks and then re-evaluate.  Follow my blog and I’ll remind you!

4. Donate something.

Clearing clutter is trendy and it may be that you want to do some of that - but that’s a project that can feel overwhelming. Instead, create a donation box. My donation box is an old cardboard box with the word DONATE scrawled in blue Sharpie on the side. It sits in the garage. 

As you move through your life, notice the things that you are no longer using - things that no longer serve you and that are simply taking up space. Clothes that you don’t like or that don’t fit (Give yourself a break - no beating yourself up here. 2020 was a hard year. Just buy some bigger pants and move on.)  Maybe you have kitchen appliances that take up space and are rarely (or never) used.  Maybe you need to empty that overstuffed shelf of coffee mugs and save only the half dozen or so that you actually use and love.

Keep it gentle - you don’t have to clean out the whole closet or declutter the entire kitchen. Simply notice the things you aren’t using and put them in the donation box. When it’s full, google a drop off location for charity and send them off to a new home. Done.

Another option is selling them online. If 2020 has left you struggling financially that might be a good option but donating is simple and gentle. Just give it away and move on.  

5. Unplug from devices. Become a social media drop out.

Late in 2020, I developed a severe case of dry eye syndrome. My eyes were incredibly dry and really hurt!  And, of course, one of the recommended treatments for dry eye syndrome is to reduce screen time. For a person who does most of her work online, that was a tough one. 

Check the usage data on your phone or tablet and you’ll be amazed to see how many hours of your day, and ultimately your life, you have spent looking at that small rectangle that is your phone, tablet, or computer screen. And that’s doesn’t include the big screen in your living space. Again, be gentle with yourself, this was a rough year - but unplugging from some of those apps might be just what you need. 

Since my work necessitates hours on the computer, I realized that I needed to edit out as much screen time as possible from my non-work hours. I deleted games from my phone (so sorry Word with Friends pals!), programmed time limits on Instagram and Facebook, checked out some old school books from the library, and started a new crochet project to give my eyes a break from screens.  And guess what? My eyes feel so much better!

Take a few moments to consider how many life hours you are handing over to that small rectangle in your pocket. Does that time align with the values you identified earlier? What changes would make your life just a little bit better?

6. Be of service.

Do something to help someone. Make it random, make it kind, and make it gentle. Pay for someone’s coffee anonymously. Donate to a cause you believe in. Drop off a bag of groceries on the porch for a friend who’s having a rough time - and try not to get caught in the act. Make it a point to regularly phone an elderly friend or neighbor who is riding out the pandemic alone in their home.

We’re all in this storm together, although certainly not in the same kind of boats,  and we need each other to survive. 

Let’s take it nice and easy as we begin 2021. Here’s to a better year for each and everyone and for our world.

Anita Flowers is a Board Certified career and life coach at Blue Sage Career Strategies. A little different than most life coaches, Anita’s background in clinical psychology and years of experience as a counselor gives her a rich understanding of human development and family dynamics. Her work history includes 13 years working with an international business company and 12 years doing individual and family counseling as well as career counseling. This blend of counseling and business experience gives Anita a unique perspective on the world of work and life. Anita works with people literally all over the world to help them discover a life and career they love. Contact Anita here to get started on your new career and life!