The 3 Things You Can Do to Start the Year with a Full Heart

The end of the year prompts us to reflect on what we have experienced and state new goals to start the year. Here are 3 concepts that can help you embrace new beginnings with an open heart!

1. Radical acceptance can be seen as the pathway to change. When we are able to see people, situations, and experiences as they are, without tainting them with our own perception and judgements, we are able to deal in more effective ways with the reality of our lives. Radical acceptance is about accepting life on life’s terms and not resisting what you cannot or choose not to change.

2. Self-compassion directs the ability to direct understanding, acceptance, and love inward and embrace your feelings with acceptance and clarity. As we cultivate self-compassion, we become more comfortable with our distress and can lean into the feelings, not wanting to escape them or change them, but really embracing them and becoming our best ally. If you compassionately validate your own emotions, you can remind yourself of your humanity and that it’s only natural for you to feel that way. You can say to yourself what you really need to hear in the moment and not engage in self-criticism that only will make you feel worse.

3. Gratitude has been proven to lead to greater happiness, better mental and physical health, and a sense of purpose and connection. Having a good mood usually leads to having better experiences and having better relationships! Who doesn’t want that? Because gratitude helps us to see “what is there” instead of “what is not”, we focus on what we already have and this can shift our perspective and mood.

When times are especially painful, emotions are raw and can take over, by using radical acceptance, self-compassion, and gratitude, you’ll be able to support yourself and respond in healthy and appropriate ways. Say good bye to 2018 and hello to 2019 with these gifts!