2020 Was a Difficult Year
2020 Was a Difficult YearI believe many of you could unequivocally say that 2020 was one of the most challenging years of your life. We experienced the craziness of an unprecedented election year while changing how we operated in the world to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the Coronavirus. You most likely had fewer hugs, gatherings, or outings, all of which are imperative to good mental health. We learned to wear masks, wash, and sanitize regularly. You did many things differently than you ever have before. It still resulted in millions of cases and loss of life, and lots of fear with no clear end in sight.
New Hope
We are now moving into a new year and have hope of seeing our current reality change. The vaccines are out and are starting to be implemented (for those who desire one), but it will take time to stop the spread of this devasting disease, and I am not sure our new normal will ever be the same as our old normal. That said, I am seeing my clients adjusting to our new normal and moving about with more ease and less fear.
Increase Your Happiness
By adding just a few simple steps to your day, you can increase your happiness, which improves your health and begin to move forward in life with renewed vigor. One simple activity is gratefulness. This simple act of acknowledgment of what you are thankful for will shift your perspective. The next simple step is to release what you don’t want and move towards a life you desire by setting intentions for what you do want.
These small steps of obtainable and memorable actions are simple, so it is easier to stay with them. The trick is setting up a process to continually do these simple steps to more positive feelings, less of what you don’t want while making your desires a reality. Each choice you make will help you learn, grow, and move forward.
Step 1: Gratefulness
Keep finding what is right in your life and take time to stop and be grateful for it. I have a gratitude journal where I capture at least 5 things a day that I am grateful for. This keeps me feeling uplifted and focused on what is right. You can write or verbally say what you are grateful for and you will begin to see these grow.
Step 2: Release What You Do Not Want in a Fire Ceremony
The first powerful step is releasing what you do not want in your life. Start this year and even each month with a traditional fire ceremony where you let go of what doesn’t serve you. A fire ceremony is exceptionally impactful when you go through it with your loved ones.
Steps
- Find a piece of paper and cut or tear it into small pieces that you can write on.
- Then take some time to think about and identify all the things you want to let go of from this past year or month.
- Write these concerns or issues onto a small scrap of paper.
- Then burn each issue independently, watching your issue burn and go up in smoke as you let go of it.
Your fire ceremony is dependent on your living situation. If you have a wood fireplace or fire pit or a place you can build a campfire, you will light a fire and then release each issue by burning each scrap of paper you wrote it on. Watch it burn and go up in smoke as you feel it getting removed from your psyche. If you do not have a fireplace or option to build a campfire, you can take a candle and burn each scrap. (Either do this outside or be sure you do not have a fire alarm nearby.) It is essential to release what you don’t want as what you resist will persist.
Feel It, Release It
The more deeply you feel through this process, the more powerful it will be. You may cry, feel depressed, or sad, but you will experience a deep inner healing as you go through the process of releasing.
Step 3: Moving Forward
Once you have released all that doesn’t serve you and all you want to let go of, it is time to decide on what you do want in your life. It is not about setting resolutions, as history has proven that many people do not follow through or reach these. What are your intentions for 2021? What would you like to see come true in your life? Write these down on scrap pieces of paper, and then find a special place to store them so you can review them throughout the year. A vision board is one method. Keep your board in a place that you can always see it. You might prefer keeping your intentions in a particular container that you can pull each intention out and feel into as the year goes by. Put a reminder in your calendar to review these on the first of each month. You can include these in your daily work as statements. I have a vision board and also have these as part of my daily work.
Build Momentum
Each desire or intention that you write down has the power to energize you to move forward. I feel into mine each day and physically feel the energy increasing in my body as I read and review each one. It is a promise you are making to yourself, and when you continue to focus on what you do want, it builds momentum that helps you move forward in the direction you choose.
