This is the thing towards the end of the year and the beginning of the new one: things get overwhelming. Over the last years absolutely everyone who visited me and my friends in Amsterdam fell ill, one way or another !!!. This year we are a house full of teeth infections -even the cats!- and friends and family are ill or upset right, left, and centre!
Have you noticed if you, or the people you know, are getting sick around those days or experiencing intense emotions (some of which you thought you had overcome in the past, but here they are again!)? Humor me by trying to grasp the following idea:
Throughout the year you have been growing and expanding and changing. Whatever your practice of choice in terms of personal & spiritual growth might be (yoga, meditation, reiki, healing, walking, therapy, writing, drawing, watching movies, drinking -yes that too!- dancing, traveling, working, etc), no matter how intense, conscious or intentional, there is one certain truth about all of us: over these last 12 months we have changed!
As it is now the moment to pass from one year to the next it is time to assimilate those changes (both personally and collectively). This becomes particularly intense because those changes have not quite completely settled yet. Vibrations run high as we digest our victories & our defeats and as we attempt to come to terms with the things not yet accomplished but which we still very much desire. Emotions both negative & positive are being released. Thoughts are moving around as they are being re-evaluated in terms of how useful they still are to us. The more conscious we are of this process, the better. Nevertheless, no matter how conscious we might be, we cannot escape the manifestations of this release in the body, which we will experience as physical symptoms or emotional discomfort (or some times even as inexplicable tension in relationships). If you are experiencing some of these predicaments, the key to dealing with them is not to resist them! Get comfortable and allow the body to do its work and release all that needs to be released. If you cannot stop resisting, then be aware of this resistance and stay with it (which quite literally means: do not resist the fact that you are resisting! Be kind to yourself!).
Bottom line: it is ok to feel how you feel! This is true at all times (and certainly with all anniversaries, birthdays etc) but.. word of advise: it is particularly true round about the end of the year/ beginning of the new one, and it gets more intense because it is not a personal anniversary but a collective one and it all multiplies and synchronises.
Three tips to help you get through those days and deal with this process of release:
-do as many things that you enjoy as possible! This will increase your ability to release resistance (it is a “sit back and enjoy the ride” kind of attitude).
-increase your practice of awareness! This means becoming as aware as possible of all your thoughts and emotions related to your life and relationships. It is a good moment to pick up a new spiritual, healing or therapy practice, or to go deeper into the one you are already using. Writing, drawing, chanting & meditation are some very effective (and affordable) DIY awareness practices. It is a good moment to pick one up.
-organise a personal ritual that marks your transition from one year to the other. The more physical the ritual the better ( a trip to nature to reflect upon the change of the year, get a tattoo that marks something important in your life right now, a celebratory run, create an end of the year dance or song or poem, etc).
Always remember not to use those tips as a way to avoid your pain but as a way to go deeper into it and understand it. Also remember that whatever discomfort you might be feeling, this is just your body preparing you for your new year's resolutions, for more growth and expansion, bringing you closer to your path and the role you want to play in your life, in the life of others and in the world at large.
Text by Birds WG