but with an eagerness of a kid on its first school day. We all have this feeling of something imminent and new is about to happen. Our New Year's resolutions reflect our hopes for making things better or making them to become true. In January, the determination of all humanity reaches its peak. That is why I think January is a very positive month...despite the fact it follows Christmas holiday laziness and sugar blowouts.
However, it is not worthy to feel guilty now for the quantity of cookies and pies you gobbled. The damage has been already been done, girls! So, don't cry over spilled milk, keep calm and...detox!
Yes, I know that the word detox is being abused these days. It is probably the most pronounced and most discussed topic of January (at least in the ladies world). However, I am not going to talk about the smoothies or the ways of how to get rid of the excessive calories. What I would like to focus on is both physical and mental detox in order to welcome the new year with harmony.
Let's start from our body, then. Although, I am neither a nutritionist nor do I sustain any weight loss diet program, the point we can start from is to listen to our body. Ok, I also do not want this sound as a usual cliche. What I mean is to avoid eating or drinking something you have been having in an excessive amount last days. Whether it is sweets, alcohol, or fried food, choose one thing you know you exaggerated with during holidays and try to avoid it.
If you feel like doing something more serious but still you are not very up to go on any strict diet, try to immagine what you would eat and drink if you had an upset stomach. If you manage to follow this hypothetic-upset-stomach diet, you will see that you by yourself will be able to switch your body to a lighter mode. And no particular diet is needed.
Another thing that might help you with your physical detox is giving a little break to your liver. It really had to work a lot for you these days processing all the fat food, sodas or alcohol you simply could not avoid. The key word here is tea. You can have it any form and in any time of the day. I personally follow from-dark-to-light rule starting with a black tea, followed by the green tea and finishing with the white tea towards the end of the day. Herbal or fruit infusions are also a great alternative. Your liver will be thankful for this little purification. And, a cup of tea will always warm you up in these freezing January days.
Let's talk about a mental detox for a while now. I consider new year's resolutions as an important part of a mental detoxication. Why? First of all, writing down your resolutions on a piece of paper make you put your priorities in order. You realize what is important and where to start from. In fact, another aspect here is how to deal with the resolutions you set to yourself. You may try dedicating each month to a new resolution. Or, you may split the big one in several smaller phases (this, for example, applies to those who want to go on a diet :) Dealing with your challenges and facing them one after another is a lot more productive in a long term scenario than making radical changes.
You may also be one of those who do not consider a new year as anything special, not even a new start, pointing the fact that the life actually does not stop. It is a continuous cycle we are all part of and there is no need to set yourself any resolutions to do or results to achieve. This point of view is really interesting and reminds us we should be conscious of our priorities in any time of our lives. I personally think, though, that we all need some time of reflection, simply to stop in order to be able to focus better on what we want.
Serious talks apart (I don't want to make you bored about my new years's monologues), a funny way to keep your resolutions alive throughout the year is to write them down on a separate post-its and put them in a visible place (near your bed, on the fridge...). What is more, as my husband says, the so-called law of attraction make them be more probable to happen. I know it may sound like a practice of witchcraft but at least keeping your goals written close to you, you will not easily forget them (and be honest, in March nobody is going to care anymore about what we promised to ourselves in January).
My intention here was to put together some very easy and unscientific detox methods both for your body and mind but above all to reflect about our needs and goals. I truly believe that January is one the most positive months of the year because clearly a lot of new is about to happen. It may only be an illusion of trying to restart even when actually there has never been any ending. But it also may be a moment for hope, for new beliefs and new mind set. The important is to start with a smile and in good spirits, don't you think, girls?
Happy new year to all of you! Make it be bright and full of fulfilled dreams...