By IMAGE
02nd Jan 2017
02nd Jan 2017
Get fit, quit smoking, lose weight, change careers, find a significant other. Now that 2017 is under way, the annual pressure to overhaul our lives is in full swing but that doesn’t mean you need to follow along. This year instead of setting outward resolutions why not take the journey inward and give yourself the gift of a better state of mind instead. Here are our top four resolutions to help you let the Zen into 2017 and so far, we haven’t found them impossible to stick to.
Give fear the heave-ho!
What could you achieve this year if you put fear on the back burner? Our guess is a lot! Fear is one of the most controlling emotions we experience because there was a time when our lives literally depended on it.? Although we live in a more modern time, we all still experience fear in its original packaging which means even small things like launching a new business can leave us feeling like it’s life or death. Luckily when we understand fear and see it for what it really is, we can acknowledge it, decide to override it and kick it to the curb.
Release judgement
Good, bad, right wrong, we’re often our own hardest critics and when we’re not busy judging ourselves we’re judging other people, situations and things. Judgement is rooted in feelings of lack, scarcity and not being good enough and it’s a tricky habit to break because it’s something that is cultivated deep within all of us from a very young age. The next time you catch yourself heading to the judgement party, try shifting your thoughts from how you or others ‘should be? to appreciating what is. When we stop seeing ourselves and others as something that is imperfect or needs to be fixed we can begin to let judgment go.
Focus on forgiveness
Anger and resentment are two of the most destructive emotions we experience and if left unchecked can erode our wellbeing and eat away at our happiness. The most difficult thing about these emotions is that the person they hurt most is the person experiencing? them and not the person they are directed at.? Choosing forgiveness doesn’t mean we need to reach out to everyone who we feel has done wrong and let them know that they are forgiven, it’s purely an inside job.
Leave your worries behind
The average adult will spend 6.5 years worrying about things that may or may not happen. Sounds crazy but how many of us can say hand on heart that we didn’t spend at least some time during 2016 worrying about things that never materialised. The most difficult thing about the worry trap, is that we believe we are doing good while we’re worrying when really all we’re doing is increasing our anxiety levels as well as the anxiety levels of those around us. Being aware of when you are worrying and shifting your attention can often be enough to stop worries in their tracks. The next time you catch yourself heading into a tunnel of worry, move your attention back to the present and focus on the here and now instead.
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