I sincerely hope you all survived the holidays. The space between Halloween and New Years can be rouuuuugh for many of those that I work with. Observing holidays that are reminders of grief, loss, and relationships they long for but don’t have. From the outside, it may appear that everyone else is having a good time and are surrounded by people they love, while you’re hiding in the bathroom and watching the clock for when family time is over.
I feel you.
January can be a long month for some. The holidays are over. People are settling back into their routine. While the earth looks peaceful covered in a white blanket of snow. It also feels really cold, dark, and lonely for some. It may look pretty but for some, it feels really bad on the inside. Please know that it won’t last forever, The snow will melt, the flowers will bloom, the temperature will increase, and you’ll feel the warmth of the sun on your face again. Despite how miserable it can feel, January can also be an opportunity for a new beginning and to start something fresh.
Ditch dieting as a New Years Resolution
For those I work with New Years can be extra triggering. This is typically the time people get on the diet bandwagon and have goals to change their body size and appearance. If not that, then it’s a time to set other goals to improve personally, which can bring up perfectionism, rigidity, and shame if all the goals weren’t all achieved. Goals are powerful and important but rigidity and shame do not help a person achieve them and maintain them long term.
Rather than being rigid in New Years Resolutions, I would perhaps consider trying something else if they leave a bad taste in your mouth. I’ve compiled some suggestions
Alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions that are better for your mental health
Create a Vision Board:
A vision board can be personalized in many different ways. This is also called a “dream board”. This can include photos, words, and symbols of things that can give meaning and vision for the upcoming year. This is a good opportunity to display the things in your life that give you strength, safety, peace, and joy. I would advise staying away from displaying things that will make you feel negative about yourself or reinforce disordered behaviors. A vision board allows you to be creative.
Identify a one-word intention as a theme for the year.
This can be a value or quality that you want to have more of this coming year. Whether it’s peace, healing, or happiness, choose a word that sticks out to you. Choosing one word simplifies and adds purpose to all other goals or intentions. Once you choose your word, display it somewhere you can see it throughout the year. This will serve as a reminder of what you’re working toward are trying to implement more of in your life.
Make a project for the year.
Whether it’s taking a photo every day, cutting and sewing quilt blocks, daily quotes, or writing prompts to represent the year, focusing your energy on having something that will be representative of the year can make it more meaningful.
Daily gratitudes.
Write down something simple you are thankful for every day for a year. Gratitude is an effective tool to fight depression. Winter blues also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder is no joke and starting in January, the heart of Winter to focus on can increase positivity and happiness. At the end of the year, you will be able to look back on 365 good things you have in your life.
As a therapist, I want you to know your mental health matters.
Please, above all, know that you are good enough. If you choose to make none of these suggestions, that’s ok! If you do nothing else this year other than breathe and survive. You are more than enough, and you deserve self-care and compassion so please be generous and understanding with each other.
Ready to start eating disorder therapy near Provo, Utah?
You don’t have to keep repeating the dieting cycle. You can make peace with your body and with food. This Utah County Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder treatment. To begin eating disorder counseling, follow these steps:
Meet with a mental health professional
begin finding peace with body and food
Online Therapy in Utah
Having access to a therapist isn’t always easy or convenient. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. Online counseling allows you to access eating disorder counseling without traveling or leaving your home.
Online counseling also allows me to work with you no matter where you are in the state of Utah. I work with clients in Logan, St. George, Salt Lake City, Heber, Cedar City, and more.
Other mental health services at Maple Canyon Therapy
Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service I provide at this Northern Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, body image therapy, and trauma therapy, including for birth trauma in Utah.