It’s now the end of January and many of us will have broken the resolutions we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. We often start the New Year with high hopes and then set ourselves high standards to live by. In my experience, both personal and as a health consultant for nearly thirteen years, I have found that gradual and gentle changes have the most lasting effect. In this vein, I want to share with you this month some words of inspiration to ponder on
Winter is time for introspection; time to review the past and plan for the future. I encourage clients and students to start diets, make new health regimes, etc. in the Spring. The Winter months are to take your time while you decide what you want. Set some goals and make some gradual and gentle changes in the right direction. You will be prepared to join Mother Nature in the springtime, bursting forth with the new you!
A couple of years ago now, one of my favorite inspirational speakers and writers, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her show. It was Dr. Angelou’s 74th birthday and Oprah asked her to share her thoughts on growing older. Her words of wisdom included the declaration that it was “exciting.” Regarding body changes she reflected the many almost daily changes included watching her breasts race to see which will reach her waist first. The audience laughed so hard they cried. A gentle change to make this Winter could be a resolution to laugh more. Laughter causes our diaphragm to pump, we breathe deeper, taking in more oxygen; our tummy muscles get into the action and get a gentle work out, and the “feel good” hormones start zipping around our bodies. Watch funny movies, go out with friends who make you laugh and start to see the humour in life around you.
Dr. Angelou also said: “I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.” In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff! If you find little things are getting to you, treat yourself to a “time out”. Take time for a nice relaxing massage, reflexology or Reiki session, prepare and share a meal with loved ones, go skating on the canal; do whatever takes you out of the day to day stress and into your peaceful centre.
Most importantly, Dr. Angelou reminded us that “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Be kind to others, be kind to yourself. Treat others with gentleness and then in the spirit of winter’s introspection, turn that kindness inwards. If your resolutions have failed, set your sights a little lower and begin again. If you need some help, turn to a friend or contact me for an appointment. I can help you set some realistic goals and together we can work to achieve them in a holistic manner; so whether it’s your weight, seasonal depression, exercise or anything else that you need to work on, give me a call and we can start you on a gentle Program back to improved health and well-being.
Jacqueline Fairbrass
