When I look back over the last 12 months, it’s hard to imagine that a year has come and gone. Too much has changed that I hardly know where to begin when it comes to focusing on the year (and it doesn’t help that my memory is bad these days). I’m going to share some insights on this year’s blog –stay tuned! I have always thought of the end of the year as a time to calm down, relax, and recharge my energy.However, I’ve found that it can be a difficult time to really find opportunities to calm down and think. Holidays, celebrations and family celebrations make it impossible to find time for contemplation of their own.

On top of that, there’s this burden or presumption that we should be fired up and ready to go as soon as January 1 comes around, even though you haven’t had time to push the reset button at all. I realize I’m just going to be terrified on the first Monday of the year if I don’t give myself enough time and room to let go of the last year first. If you felt the need to calm down and recharge before you could even think about next year, I’d like to share a few tips to help you take more time to relax, reboot, and make room for what’s to come.

First of all, it’s important to have a few moments where you can calm down and focus on what you’ve done over the past year. You might immediately worry about the bad things that have happened based on what sort of year you’ve had, but it’s important to remember the little things you’ve done, the little things you’ve earned, the ventures you’ve accomplished, the different things you’ve accepted into your life, or maybe even the improvements you’ve made to your own minds and values. Find a peaceful spot where you can reflect and enjoy some quiet time, even if it’s just 5 minutes at the end of the day or at your lunch break. Grab a pen or a blank sheet of paper and write down the little improvements you’ve made over the year. How has your mind changed since January? What did you learn for yourself this year? What are you so proud of?

In order to refuel your battery, you need to concentrate on not being distracted by the future. The New Year may feel like an exciting time, but it may also feel extremely daunting due to infinite possibilities. It’s important to take some time to relax and get to a calmer state before you start a new year. Dream of how you intend to get to the end of the year. When you don’t necessarily want it to be uncomfortable, how do you make it less stressful? What do you need to do for yourself in order to get some minutes of rest? Are you just looking ahead of what you intend to do or are you loving the times that will soon be over?

Now is the time to make room to welcome new and interesting things into your life. This may mean letting go of the actual clutter from your house and getting rid of something you don’t need. That can also mean letting rid of the emotional clutter that stops you from going where you want to be in your life.There may be people you need to forgive (or unfriend), past memories to avoid living in your head, or feelings about yourself that you need to let go of. By reducing your life clutter,  you will begin this year with a clean slate and an optimistic outlook. Create a list of things you want to let go of in 2021 and make a timetable to finally let go of them.