5 Ways To Honor Yourself This Year [EXPERT]

The New Year is an exciting time full of possibility. It is a time for change and new beginnings. It is often a time designated to evaluate one's current situation—both personally and professionally—and to make proclamations (resolutions) about how things can improve or grow. While this tradition can be a wonderful exercise and can motivate some fantastic developments in life, it can also create anxiety. Anxiety that likely comes from guilt about not knowing what resolutions to make and not knowing what resolutions, if made, are manageable. This very anxiety can result in people balking at resolution-making altogether and/or avoiding helpful self-reflection in the New Year. 4 Resolutions For A Stronger You & Relationship In 2012 EXPERT

So this year, in place of and/or alongside resolution making, I am proposing that one set aside time to honor themselves in the New Year. And I am further proposing 5 ways to do just that:

1. Honor the life you have created: This notion sounds simple, maybe even obvious. But it is something that is often dismissed, avoided or forgotten. We spend so much time focusing on what isn't—the things we must do, the things we haven't done, the things we can't get ourselves to do—that we forget. We forget what we have done. Set aside time to really consider, really reflect on, what you have brought into your life. Reflect on the connections you have made—with family, friends, significant others, children and strangers as you move through the day. Who do you touch with the work you do, the help you provide, the smile you offer? This exercise is not about judging how big or small the quality of your creations are. This exercise is about honoring, in this last year, how your unique qualities have resulted in creating moments, friendships, exchanges, productivity, wisdom, intimacy and more. And this can be anything from connecting with the grocery clerk, your favorite pet or your new husband. This can include picking up trash in a park, to letting a car pass you or to volunteering for charity work. It's about how you use yourself in an hour, a day, a week, and ultimately a year to make a difference to yourself or another. Hold tight to what you discover in this exercise. These are the building blocks of you and of who you are. They are precious and important and must be regularly recognized and honored. How Do You Learn To Love Yourself?