Written by Andrea Guerrini. Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Are you tired of hearing “weight loss” and “6 pack abs” as people’s preferred New Year’s resolution? Not only is it so yesterday, it’s also highly unlikely that our purpose in this universe is to achieve an impossible ideal body. Here we offer you some simple ideas to make 2020 an inspiring, empowering and fulfilling year … and guess what… you don’t need to lose any weight!
Share your love
Spend quality time with the people you love. There’s nothing more important than love. One of the most common regrets people have at the end of their lives, is wishing they spent more time with their family and friends. We all know how important this is, but we get caught in life. We leave for tomorrow so many things, including reaching out to your mum or that childhood friend. Today is the best time you will ever have, so go and make 2020 a year filled with love and joyful moments with your loved ones.
Stay Present
We spend so much of our precious existence revisiting a past that can’t be changed, or imagining a future that might not even happen. Practicing mindfulness means bringing back our attention to the present moment, which really is all we have. You don’t have to become a Zen monk to experience the benefits of mindfulness, you can start with a moment each day. This moment can be focusing on your breath, or tasting a delicious food. You might find it easier to find this connection by moving your body with yoga, walking or swimming. Only you know what works for you so go for it!.
Rest
Rest is so underrated! We are constantly pressured to be productive all-the-damn-time! In this culture, not only do we feel pressured, but we also feel worthy when we are being productive and working really hard! The worst part is that we believe that lie! The reality is that rest is actually super important and good for you, and you should totally embrace it in 2020 (and forever thereafter!). Rest reduces stress, restores energy, improve our mood, and as ironic as this might be …rest increases productivity!
Read more
In an era of smartphones and Netflix, we spend such a large amount of time in our devices. It’s easy to forget the joy of reading a good book. Reading stimulates our imagination, improves our concentration and memory, expands our knowledge and vocabulary, and can even help you sleep better!
Riots not Diets!
Make 2020 the year that you challenge diet culture’s toxic messages. You can start for example, by stop commenting on other people’s bodies, stop praising weight loss, ditching the scale and rejecting the diet mentality. We know this can be very hard and challenging. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Here are some resources that might help you on your journey of breaking free from diet culture:
PODCASTS
BOOKS
Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon
Body of Truth by Harriet Brown
The F*ck it Diet by Caroline Dooner
Body Respect by Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor
Beyond Beautiful by Anuschka Rees
Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison
BLOGS
Return to Nature
Western tradition give us the illusion that we are separate from the environment. The way we live is so disconnected right? We don’t feel the soil under our feet, we don’t see the stars hidden by the city lights. We forget that we are nature, that we are all interconnected in a beautiful endless dance of the universe. Spend quality time in nature, feel the rain, feel the grass, feel the air, feel the magic because you are everything!
Therapy
Engaging in therapy can be a life changing experience for many people. There was a time in which therapy was very stigmatised. Luckily, things have changed, and now more and more people are opening up to therapy. You don’t have to be struggling with life to seek therapy, in fact, many people engage in therapy to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their relationships and life in general.
Play
Many years ago, George Bernard Shaw said: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Play is so awesome! Why is that as we grow older we don’t allow ourselves to play? Having fun is such a joy! Be silly, dress up, go to a water park, organise a dance party, go to a music festival, join a community choir, make sandcastles, go to an escape room, join a theater company, do karaoke, just play just for the sake of fun! Play in nature, with people you love, and don’t forget to rest afterwards!