As we approach the holiday season, holidays are the last thing on my mind (sorry, not sorry, to all you holiday lovers). I’ve never been a huge fan. It was such a pleasure living in Asia, where there was less emphasis on American holidays. Other holidays that I found magical took center stage in Thailand, like Yi Peng (the lantern festival) and Songkran (the water festival). In India, I reveled in festivals like Maha Shivaratri and Holi. Plus, I would honor my auspicious Hindu God every Wednesday, Ganesha.

I’m not religious, but I am all about self-evolution and transformation.

Because I thrive on transformation, the turn of the year is one of my favorite times. And not for the champagne. I skip right over the December holidays, laser-focused on the transition into the New Year. What does that look like for me? I examine my previous year and ask specific questions to clarify my vision for next year.

Preparing to Create Clarity

Asking questions and answering them sounds easy. And it can be. What’s important is your state of being when you approach this activity.

Creating a vision for your year is like creating a roadmap. If you’re feeling anxious, unsettled, dysregulated, or discombobulated, your roadmap might lead you into a ditch or down a dirt path into nowhere. Perhaps this had been your experience and why you’re not living the best version of your life (yet).

Grounding & Centering

• Arrive – Find a quiet, comfortable space.
• Ambiance – Put on some soft music that you love. Grab a warming and delicious cup of tea. Light a candle or incense.
• Ground Yourself – Take several deep belly breaths. Connect to your body. Feel connected to your chair, the earth, the space around you.
• Intention – Let this exercise be a time for self-care and self-love. Set an intention prior to beginning. Self-love is a great one.

10 Questions to Clarify Next Year’s Vision:

1. What didn’t go as well as I’d hoped this year?
2. What changes can I make to improve upon that?
3. What are my top three goals for next year (in any area)?
4. What are my top three goals in all three of these areas: emotional, physical, spiritual/soul?
5. How do I want to feel by the end of next year?
6. What am I missing in my life that I desire/need?
7. What are my top three long-term goals that I want to begin (or continue) working towards?
8. What are the top three to five steps I need to begin taking to work towards each goal?
9. What are the top three things I want to stop doing/ having in my life?
10. What are some things I can do to begin to work towards eliminating those things from my life today?

Obstacles

You might run into some obstacles. Most likely, they’ll come from your mind in the form of judgments or negative thoughts like:

• Why would I do this, it’s a dumb exercise?
• I can’t do this
• This type of stuff never works for me
• This is futile
• I can’t change
• This is pointless

Recommendations to Overcoming Obstacles:

Write down a list of your obstacles. Ask the question: “Is this true, or just a thought that I have always had that might be BS?”

Consider making one of your goals for this year: Eradicating negative thoughts.

If your barrier is dysregulation, I’ve got a solution for you below.

Overcoming Dysregulation

Dysregulation arises for many reasons. It can be stubborn and seem impossible to fix. Especially when you’re constantly feeling overwhelmed, anxious, frozen, uncertain, hopeless, and so on.

Finding inner peace, calm, connectedness, and presence may not be possible in one session, but it is an achievable goal.

I’ve written a workbook designed to help you do just that. It’s the (free) Somatic Awareness Workbook. It’s a 35-page research-backed workbook designed to help you:

The Somatic Awareness Workbook is Designed to Help You:

• Become aware of the signs and symptoms causing dysregulation
• Identify current baseline of stress and symptoms
• Spend one month tracking your symptoms of dysregulation
• Take actionable steps to finding your optimal zone (aka your center)
• Create a vision and goals for healing

Did you catch that last one? If the exercise in this article is too overwhelming for you, the vision and goal-setting practice in the Somatic Awareness Workbook is specific and focused on healing. It’s also sandwiched in a workbook that supports you on the journey to heal dysregulation.

This is a fantastic way to begin your new year heading down the right road.

Happy healing and self-transformation! ♥