It's Not Too Late: Tackling Mid-January Burnout

It’s Not Too Late: Tackling Mid-January Burnout by Angela S. Taylor MA, LPC-S

So it’s mid-January, and you set some pretty amazing goals, resolutions, intentions, etc. for this year! But you’re feeling completely unmotivated. What happened? Why were you so excited to start fresh and are now just not feeling it? Why is it so difficult to create a new healthy habit that you know is good for you? You are not alone. People are struggling with this all over, right now. Luckily, we’re here to help! Here are 5 ways to get yourself back on track.

• Be gentle with yourself.

You are human! It’s not easy to create a new habit when we’ve already established unhealthy habits for years. You are trying to disrupt a system, narrative, and pattern that has been established and cemented in your life for a very long time. This takes time (and a ton of effort) to do. Remind yourself that you are normal, but you’re also valuable and worthy enough to make good changes in your life.

• Start small.

We have a tendency to try to overhaul our entire lives at the beginning of the year. We’re going to eat healthy, work out every day, be better partners and parents, go to church weekly, etc. This feels overwhelming and impossible to maintain. Starting with small goals will help you reach your larger ones in a much more sustainable way, and you won’t feel so defeated when you don’t make it to every workout class this week. Can you replace your normal lunch with 2 salads this week? Maybe you can fit in 3 30 minute workouts this week?

• Be intentional.

Hope is not a strategy. I think of this phrase often when setting goals with my clients as well as myself. We consistently say things like, I hope I can start working out, I’m really going to be better about eating this year I’m going to be more active in reaching out to friends, etc. While all of these are great goals, there is no plan behind them. What can you actually do? Be very purposeful about when and how you are going to achieve your goals. What days and times will you be working out this week?  Who will you reach out to, and what day of the week can you fit that in? Really focus on your week, and how you plan to achieve these milestones.

• Focus on how achieving your goals will make you feel.

How will you feel when you excel at work, are more deeply connected to your friends, calmer with your kids? A lot of the time we think of reaching goals from the outside in. We focus more on how others will perceive and feel about us rather than how we will actually feel about living the life we want to live. This mentality usually leads to unsustainability. It will never be enough because you can’t please everyone, or make everyone happy, and there will always be someone you believe is outperforming you. So really focus inward and think about the joy and energy you will have when you are pursuing and achieving these goals.

• Enjoy the journey!

I know this is a little cliché, but there’s so much truth in these words. You’re living this life right now! Do not let these moments pass you by waiting for that thing to happen or expecting that when you reach that goal then you get to be happy. The here and now are so important, and you don’t want to lose this time waiting for the next thing. Be present and lean into gratitude. What are you doing right now that makes you happy? What can you do today that you know will bring you joy? Who are you connecting with that makes you feel more purposeful? What activity are you engaging in that gives you more energy to live your life to the fullest? So, it’s not too late to get back on track! Your new life doesn’t have to start at the beginning of a year or on a Monday. It can start right now! If you’re struggling with figuring out who you want to be or where you want to go, Noyau counselors and life coaches can help you find a path and plan. Call us today to get started on your exciting journey!