On the 370th day of January my yoga teacher said to me....

Let's be real here, January is always a long month for most people, weather isn't great, finances aren't doing as good as they could be, motivation is low and your trying this new year new me but still finding leftovers chocolates from Christmas and eating them in secret. January is nearly over and If this is you and your feeling super guilty of all of the above right now, then I’m here to tell you it’s time stop being so hard on yourself.

 Why as humans do we feel like because its a new year everything must change. Somehow, everything will be better and I’ll be in great shape or better mood in no time. As humans we have this thing called our ego and with our ego comes expectation. We hold so much expectation of what January should hold for us, instead of just cutting ourselves some slack. The word 'should' is an expectation, I should be back doing exercise by now, I should be back eating healthy, I should be doing dry January, I should be more organised. How about you allow yourself to be human.

 For me, I think people look at January all wrong. I take January as a trial month, a month to simple just try survive the 31 days that feel like 370 days. January is the month of preparation, the month of preparing myself mentally and physically to bloom into spring. For me, my new year starts in February and that way, I have allowed myself a month to slowly get back to normality. We spend the month of December rushing around getting things ready for Christmas, then we spend our Christmas rushing around visiting family and friends, eating, drinking and being merry and then January comes. Suddenly, the kids are back to school, your back at work, your hungry and tired all the time and you wonder why you can't find your motivation to move your ass off the couch. Hello, did you miss the part of all the rushing around? It’s a lot on our bodies, we jump straight back into things without even allowing the time to listen to our bodies or minds of whether we are ready to jump back into routine and then we wonder why we can't stick to things or why we get sick and run down so quickly. If a runner doesn't warm up their bodies before a marathon, they will either finish the marathon with a injury or they will push themselves and not be able to move their bodies for days afterwards. So why not allow January to be your warm up before your marathon.

 If your finding yourself stuck in the 'I should be' mode, It's time to change that. Let go of the 'should be' and allow yourself to just be in the process. Tell yourself it's okay if I’m not where I thought I would be this January and let's begin to look to the future of what you could be. A runner can only complete a marathon by taking it step by step and stopping if needed and so with life so can you, take each day step by step.

Here’s my 7 self care tips for you for the rest of month:

1. TRACK YOUR WINS - For some people getting up in the morning can be a victory, never knock yourself of the little things you accomplish in day, give yourself a pat on the back because nobody else will.

2. List What Your Grateful For! - A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles. Whether it be last thing before bed or first thing in the morning it’s so important to list what you are grateful for.

3. Take 2 Minutes To Write About A Positive Experience Over The Past 24 Hours- everyday may not be good but there is always something good in everyday.

4. Meditation & Movement - create space for yourself, 5 - 10 minutes of meditation and gentle movement can help relieve stress, anxiety and just help you feel more connected to your mind and body.

5. Check Your Circle And Social Media- are the people around your inspiring you or widening your expectation of what you should be like, should be doing, should wearing etc.

6. Let Go Of Expectation- enjoy doing something without an end expectation, allow yourself to just be in the process of the journey.

7. Breathe - find time for stillness and when things feel overwhelming, come back to your breathing, slow it right down with some deep breaths.

The stories we tell ourselves on a daily basis, let go of them. Comparison is the thief of joy, it’s okay to not be on the same page as others around you, it’s okay to say no and listen to your body. It’s okay to try again next month….

Love & light,

Megan @inspiredsoulswellbeing