end-of-year recognition: an alternative to new year's resolutions

Are you sick of new year's resolutions?

Sometimes it feels like you have to change yourself because everyone else is doing it. January looks like setting big new goals, envisioning yourself as a different person by the end of the year. Shedding a skin. Levelling up. But do we ever take a moment to appreciate the person who already exists?

Let’s celebrate who you are and what you want to sustain in the new year. Because:

You are already enough.

Lack of recognition is a major contributor to burnout, which leads to overwork, overwhelm and overconsumption. When we think we are not enough, we buy more and we spend more time motivated by shame and external expectations. This art therapy exercise is for you to take a moment and appreciate yourself for making it through the year. However you did that, you made it through. You deserve recognition for all that you do.

Want an easy printable step-by-step guide? I've got you. Just scroll down to the end.

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Step One:

Let’s get playful: Imagine you are a news reporter and you are interviewing someone you have admired all year. You finally get to talk to this person and hear more about their life. You see them in their best light and you write the most gushing article about them.

Now imagine that the interview subject is you. Write an article about your year as if from the perspective of this reporter. What did you do this year? What strengths and qualities carried you through? What are you proud of? Give yourself a chance to see yourself in a positive, compassionate, glowing light. 

Remember: write the article from a third-person narrative, using personal pronouns instead of “I” statements. For example, “she started a new job that she loves”, rather than “I started a new job that I love”. Sometimes it is easier to acknowledge your abundant strengths when you take a step back and look at your year from another perspective. If the journalist schtick doesn’t work for you, choose another character! How would you write about your best friend or your child or partner?

Step Two:

Go back and read the article you wrote about your year. What words stand out you you? Circle or highlight these words. You are collecting little jewels from your year.

MANTRA BUILDING

A mantra is a collection of positive statements to repeat when you are facing difficult times (or feeling like you are not enough). Create a mantra based on your words that stand out. For example, if you circled the word strength, you might choose the mantra “I am strong”. There is no limit in the number of statements to include in your mantra, through you may want to choose somewhere between 2-5, so that it is easily repeatable and memorable.

Step Three:

What do you most want to recognize yourself for this year? Did you set a boundary? Did you ask for help? Did you treat yourself with kindness? Did you enter into a new stage of life? Did you simply survive?

Recognition for the small moments in life are rare. While celebrating big life milestones like weddings, graduations, or significant birthdays can be fun and fulfilling, we often forget about all of the everyday things that we do to foster growth, love and happiness in our lives. At the end of the day, we are all just trying our best.

Look back at your mantra. Does it only focus on the big moments or encompass overarching themes in your life? “I am strong” could mean “I committed to strength-training this year”, or “I practiced setting boundaries with strength and compassion” or “I endured several set-backs while maintaining strength of character and authenticity”.  Oftentimes, the words in our mantras are those that we most need to hear and are grounded in universal truths about our lived experiences.

OFFER YOURSELF RECOGNITION

This is often the hardest step: offer yourself recognition for the small everyday moments that made up your year. Choose one thing that is most important to give yourself credit for this year. The thing that maybe nobody else congratulated you for, but you know how important it was to you. Give yourself a mental high five or a hug and say to yourself “I did it”, no matter how small it appears to be.

Now, create an actual certificate of recognition! You can draw or use a template, but whatever you do, make sure you put it somewhere visible so you go into the new year with a reminder that you are enough.

EOY Recognition Worksheet_IntrinsicTherapy.pdf

Download PDF • 1.73MB

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Is this helpful for you as you end your year? I help women struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, burnout and chronic stress live intentional values-aligned lives. This is an example of something we would do in an online art therapy session - oftentimes we don't realize how much we have actually done in a year, especially when there is a voice in our heads telling us that we always have to do more, more, more. Slowing down, resting, giving recognition and offering ourselves compassionate care helps to heal a constantly overwhelmed nervous system.

Want to learn more about working together online? Book a complimentary initial consultation or check out upcoming groups/workshops to kickstart your therapeutic journey.