By: LUMO Leaders
Yes, yes. It’s a new year! Maybe you’ve heard? Anna here. I’m not much of a resolution person, but I do like to do a little look behind/look ahead in early January and set some intentions. At its very best, the turn of the year can be a time to reflect on the successes of the previous “525,600 minutes,” as the late Jonathan Larson might say, and begin to divine exciting possibilities for the coming 525,600.
How do you measure a year? I like the idea of using Jonathan Larson’s suggested metric:
How much love did you experience in 2022? How much did you give? Because it’s a new year and I’m feeling feisty, I’ll push Larson’s offer a bit further for 2023:
How about SELF love?
What would it be like if you took a measured approach to the next year by loving yourself radically as a daily practice? What if you took such incredible care of yourself, loved yourself SO completely that you not only taught people how best to care for you, but you ALSO taught them how to love themselves better?
What?! Crazy talk, right? What on earth would we do with all that cross-pollinating love flying around everywhere? Oh, I don’t know. I guess we’d be a pack of joyous lovers making 525,600 minutes of meaningful magic; beautiful art, impactful services to humanity, smiles in the street, collaborative projects completed at work, sand dunes replenished by caring communities, long naps, a whole bunch of cuddling, and collective societal hydration!
(Cynical? Message me. Tell me it’s not possible. I’m standing by with love to shower on you!)
But where does one start? Here are 5 gestures of self-loving goodness you can offer yourself. To learn more about yourself, change your life, and make more love on this planet, click here.
Carve out time for yourself. Take more breaks. How? Make your meetings 25 min instead of 30, or 50 min instead of an hour. If you work from home, build in a 15 minute transition so you can take off your work hat and put on your parenting one. Close your computer, take 3 deep breaths, whatever. And here’s a good one that can really open up your calendar: Say “no,” or “l’ll get back to you on that,” and skip the “dirty” yes (when you say yes, but you feel NO deep in your bones) altogether. The dirty yes is fertile ground for resentment.
Eat more plants. They’re good for your brain, your gut, your immune system, and they slow down the aging process. And the more diverse your plants are, the better! Dr. Megan Rossi, The Gut Health Doctor, says a great way to increase how many plants you eat is to track them! Shoot for 30 plants (vegetables, fruits, nuts, or grains) a week. Sprinkle some love on your food in flaxseed form. Want to know more? Go visit the good doctor herself and read all about it.
Listen to music. Music makes everything better, especially tedious tasks you’ve been avoiding. (Cleaning is so much more rockin’ with AC/DC or Prince.) Music is my partner’s love language, so we almost always have something playing in our house and, boy, does it affect the collective mood. Make yourself a playlist, or find one on Spotify that already features your favorite song. Classical or funky, old school musicals or soundtracks from movies, music soothes, improves your mood, inspires you to groove, and gets you out of your head and into your body.
Practice gratitude. Every day. And do it your way. Make a Gratitude jar you open and read at the end of the year, work it into your family dinner routine, or count your blessings while you’re walking your dog. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but you’ll be surprised and delighted by how good it makes you feel, and the world around you seems to improve as if by magic.
Celebrate! How do you celebrate yourself? Celebration of self is a MUST when it comes to self love! Celebrate any and ALL wins. Dental cleaning with no cavities? WIN! You helped a coworker get a project across the line? WIN! You ate all your bananas before they turned brown? WIN! You made a dinner everyone in your family liked? WINx2! Whether it’s receiving a fat raise or getting to hot yoga, your wins deserve to be celebrated. If the notion makes you a little squeamish, I have some confronting news: you need this THE MOST! I’m a big fan of making a “Wall of Wins” out of Post-It notes. Visual displays are my jam.
With great love and respect for every minute of this year, we wish you a magical 2023.
Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash
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