New Year, New... You Won't Hear It Here
Take it from someone who has spent her career in the marketing and advertising industries: ‘tis the season to simultaneously tempt, shame and sell to you.
You may have noticed that the moment Thanksgiving approached and passed, the tone of your social media feeds and email inbox shifted to a stream of “Before and After” or “Transformation” photos and the din of “New Year, New You” messaging on TVs and radios grew louder. During this week—the final week of 2019 and the final week of this decade—that din has exploded into a complete cacophony of societal pressure and expectations to be a “new” version of yourself.
As the marketing formula for this messaging goes, the “Before” photo on the left is a larger version and the “After” photo on the right is a smaller version of the same body, insinuating that by purchasing supplements, a meal plan and/or a new four, six or eight-week exercise program, you, too, can be a societally-acceptable smaller human being.
Such photos are positioned as inspiration for this “new you,” but really, they are meant to ignite your self-doubt and negative self talk, to make you identify with the “Before” photo on the left, the less-than version, and yes, ultimately to sell you something.
It is no accident that this marketing strikes during a season of high stress and indulgence. Many of us slip into survival mode—even those of us who love the spirit of the season!—as the demands on our time are high: trying to achieve the usually-too-long-work-and-home-list while also shopping for and buying gifts for loved ones, baking more food, cookies and treats than we would in every other month of the year combined, attending more social gatherings than usual, and congregating with family and friends to celebrate.
But it is that which our indulgences should be rooted in: celebration! The joy of indulging in traditional foods or a cookie or treat (or a few cookies or treats!) lovingly made with your children, gifted to you by a friend or shared with family. Unless you are competing in a fitness pageant on January 1st or training for a triathlon on January 2nd, what are the five pounds you might have gained and are now being pressured to lose actualIy setting you back from?
And that’s Sága’s beef with this marketing-inspired self-hatred spiral: weight loss alone is a woefully short-term goal. Your weight, in and of itself, does not reflect your wellness any more than the size of your body indicates your level of health. Therefore, we won’t endorse dieting programs or weight loss messaging, now, in January, or any other time of year.
Instead, we invite you to take a deep breath as we step across the threshold of a new year and root yourself in a place of gratitude. This gratitude could be for so many reasons:
For the love that you could taste baked into that cookie, pie or pan of mac’n’cheese;
That you survived the visit(s) with family who may trigger or upset you;
For those who supported you to keep up with the expectations of the season;
That the hellish pace of December has nearly passed;
For the joy you witnessed on the face of someone who matters to you;
___<Insert your reason here>___
Then, we invite you to move forward. Yes, into a new year but also back to the cadence of your own life in all of its individual routines and surprises. And, yes, back into the habits that ensure, facilitate or protect your own wellness.
We love the punctuation of a new year as much as we love the punctuation of a new moon each month for what it is: a chance to pause, reflect and set intentions for continued growth. But in all of these moments, it is important to keep a long-term lens on healing and growth instead of a short-term goal influenced by external pressures, such as weight loss.
With that in mind, here’s our version of a #NewYearNewYouGoals Before and After photo:
If you have found yourself in a bad (or even a less than ideal) place during this holiday season, know that there are resources across the Monadnock Region to help you recalibrate and ground yourself on your individual path. Here are a few recommendations:
Trauma-Informed/Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
“Healflow”— held at SOUL Yoga (next to the Green Grocer) every Sunday from 2:15-3:15 p.m.—is a trauma-informed/trauma-sensitive gentle slow Vinyasa flow that works its way up and down the body using carefully selected postures to target the twelve major organs, the lumbar, thoracic, cervical vertebrae, and the complete the kinetic chain (knees/ legs, back, spine and neck) to promote natural and healthy function from the inside (organs, connective tissues, and skeletal alignment) out releasing stress and pent-up emotions along the way. Email Ivor with any questions or reserve a spot here.
EMDR and Psychotherapy
For many, the holiday season can stir up memories or activate a trigger that is not fully processed and still traumatizing you or causing you pain. If you find that you need to talk one-on-one, psychotherapist Alex Murray-Golay can share the potential of talk therapy or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which allows the right and left brain to become “unstuck” and to fully process traumatic events. Email Alex to learn more and to see if EMDR or psychotherapy are right for you.
TIMBo (Trauma-informed Mind and Body) Group for Women
TIMBo combines movement, breath, guided meditation, and a workbook-based approach within a group of women, facilitated by psychotherapist Alex Murray-Golay and Katherine Gekas to explore and better understand emotions such as fear, shame, and grief. The holidays can ‘get in there’ when it comes to these emotions, and this group environment will allow you to feel resonance with other women. Again, email Alex to learn more or to reserve a spot in the next series – they are offering both a day time and an evening group, which begin in March.
Grief Counseling
The holidays can be heartbreaking and full of sadness if you are missing a loved one or grieving from a loss. Carol Cleary, a reiki master, astrologist, angel card reader, and grief counselor hosts The Healing Circle once a month at Shakti Healing Arts for those who are grieving to find comfort and talk in a safe place. It is by invitation only, so please contact Carol by email here if you would like to attend the next Healing Circle in January.
Wellness Coaching and Nutrition Consultation
If the messaging of the season struck a chord with you because you feel unwell, then by all means, allow the momentum of a new month, year and decade to set you on a new path. Seek qualified support (meaning support that is service-based and unrelated to the sale of any particular product, supplement or plan) to help you set long-term goals that are grounded in healing, address root causes and customized for what works for your body. Two of our Sága Circle members are certified in Holistic Nutrition and Wellness consulting. Click below to learn about their individual philosophies and reach out to either (or both!) of them for a free consultation.
Embodiment Coaching
If what ails you is not related to your physical being and instead, is much deeper on a soul level, then perhaps coaching through the body-mind is for you. Sarah Aborn will work with you to uncover deeply held beliefs and how they impact the body, de-program and neutralize thought patterns that block forward momentum and integrate this re-wiring through conscious breathing, meditation, massage, yoga and/or hands-on energy balancing. You will leave with a nervous system reset and a harmonic unification of mind, body and emotions. Book a session here.
Reiki Treatment
Reiki is a powerful and effective resource for healing pain and the physical body. It can also help to balance your energy and ‘refill your cup’ if you feel drained and out of sorts after the holidays. Jocelyn Brown of Shining Spiral Healing Arts, a Usui Reiki Master, channels Divine Energy through non-invasive touch along the chakra pathways to heal at a cellular level. You will learn what the ‘reiki glow’ means, feeling relaxed and balanced after a treatment. Learn more about Jocelyn here or in our Directory.
Massage and Bodywork
Sometimes, you just need a little old fashioned relaxation after a season of chaos and if so, Heather Vaillancourt at Monadnock Therapeutic Bodyworks is your gal. She takes a holistic healthcare approach and leverages comprehensive treatment plans that comprise a variety of massage and bodywork modalities to help her clients achieve their optimal level of health and wellness. Learn more about what Heather offers and book a session with her here.
Intuitive Sound Healing
Last, but certainly not least, and also in the vein of deep relaxation is intuitive sound healing that combines a short, gentle gong bath, Tibetan and crystal singing bowls, and therapeutic tuning forks. A non-invasive, safe, customized private session with Marybeth Hallinan of Fundamentally Harmonic re-harmonizes the body and returns the nervous system to an incredibly relaxed space, bringing you gently back into homeostasis so that healing can occur. A session can help alleviate anxiety and depression and reduce chronic pain and inflammation. Reach out to Marybeth for more information.
With hope for peace in your body, mind and spirit this season, and respect, love and gratitude in abundance, Happy New Year from Brianna, Ivor and the Sága family!