Surviving The Festive Season Slump & Reaching Your New Goals

Every single year without fail before January 1st I feel a huge surge of energy to do a million and one things and then by around the 5th [when this post goes live] I hit a slump. And I'm not the most festive soul around but I still encounter the post festive season slump. When we're all trying to remember how to have a solid routine and not inhale chocolate after every meal which became the norm in December. So here are a few ways to battle through the slump and how to work towards your new goals in a way that won't make you feel like a failure by the end of the month.

TAKE IT SLOW

It's such a well-known cliche that we all come into January at full pelt and can very quickly run out of steam. And I love setting myself new goals and aims to work towards as it keeps me learning and progressing but I think January is truly the worst time to try and make a long list of changes. Even though December is a season that prides itself on rest, it's usually a pretty busy time for all of us even if we have taken time off. Taking a slower approach to January might not quite align with everyone's goal to go running into a new season that's for sure but I find it to work much better in the long run. Gradually building yourself up is always a great way to do things because you don't run out of steam so easily and go at a constant rate.

BEAR THE SEASON IN MIND

January is a really, really horrible month let's be honest. It's so dark and dreary so no wonder why so many of us struggle to keep on track with our goals. For myself and so many others, the weather plays a huge role in our lives and our minds. So something I've found pretty useful when it comes to setting myself goals and aims is bearing the season in mind. It might sound silly and maybe even unnecessary to some but it's something I've found to work so well. January is always a month of decluttering and adding more veg back into my diet as well as pushing forward with work that needs doing online. And of course, the best thing about all those goals is that they don't require being outside so I don't have the grey skies dragging me down.

GIVE YOURSELF SOMETHING TO WORK TOWARDS

There is something so undeniably good about a whole new year to work with. It's such a cliche and we're all aware of it but it's refreshing and feels awesome. There is so much hope ahead of us and I always like to give myself something in the middle of the year to work towards. Of course, were only a few days into January and thinking that far ahead might not thrill some people but it works a treat.

DON'T LET OTHER PEOPLES GOALS GET IN YOUR HEAD

The internet at this time of year is without a doubt my favourite time to be online as everyone is so full of enthusiasm and cynicism is minimal. I adore reading everyone's posts where they share their goals and aims but all too often I find myself worrying that maybe I should be doing the same things. When we all know deep down that were never running the same race as anyone else so we're never going to have the same goals. It's hard to learn to support other people's goals without adopting them yourself but it's such an important lesson to learn.

CHANGING YOUR HABITS ISN'T EASY AND NOT AN OVERNIGHT THING

Making new habits and breaking old ones is such a difficult thing to do. And so often when we're setting ourselves these awesome new goals to take on new habits we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to instantly change when that's never going to be the case. Then of course, when we revert to our old habits we beat ourselves up and want to give up. Changing a lifelong habit of how you do something is so hard and you're allowed to mess up and just taking a few steps in a new direction is progress.

A FEW THINGS TO BEAR IN MIND ABOUT GOALS

Allow them to have wiggle room, life constantly throws different things at us that we're not prepared for.
Setting a super strict timeline might for work some goals, not all of them.
Be realistic, having vast wild dreams is awesome but not if they're going to make you feel like a failure if you don't reach it.
Constantly revisit your goals and adjust them as the year goes on.
Failing at something doesn't mean you're a failure overall.