Feeling the ‘New Year, New You’ pressure?
It’s the start of a New Year, a time to reflect on the year before and look ahead to what is to come. If this is all going well then great, good for you! Unfortunately, many people feel pressured to reinvent themselves at this time of year and subsequently feel a sense of failure when the high bar of expectation is not met.
Research shows that around 80% of New Year Resolutions will get abandoned by February. So, if your plans to go to the gym five times a week have gone by the wayside, you are definitely not alone!
Of course, in the current Covid times that we live in, it feels perhaps more difficult to make plans and look ahead positively. Indeed, every week in clinic; and with friends and family, I see heightened levels of anxiety and fear.
Feeling Safe
“If you want to improve the world, start by making people feel safe.”
Stephen Porges
The best kind of change is made when we feel safe. Our bodies and brains know this. After all, we can’t heal when we’re in stress mode.
When faced with continual stressors, feelings of fear and anxiety can take over and become the norm. These feelings can manifest themselves as pain and tension in our bodies.
The good news is that there are lots of things we can do to help ourselves feel safer and better able to cope with what life throws at us. The charity ‘Mind’ has lots of useful information on their website on dealing with anxiety, see www.mind.org. Suggestions include:
● Talking to someone you trust
● Keeping a diary
● Looking after your physical health
● Complementary and alternative therapies
Feeling MORE you with Bowen Therapy
The Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki told his students: “Each of you is perfect just as you are – and you could all use improvement.”
You’ve got to love the paradox of a Zen saying!
Rather than trying to reinvent a ‘New You’ for 2022, how about taking yourself by the hand and helping you be more you?
Bowen Therapy is a gentle and yet effective form of bodywork that can help calm a stressed nervous system and help return the body and mind back to balance. As a Bowen practitioner, it’s so rewarding to see the change in someone’s persona pre and post Bowen session.
Sometimes, we need a little help to feel safe and to let go of pain and tension. If you would like to know more about Bowen Therapy and how it may help you, click on the link below.
Happy New Year!
Jayne x
