Setting intentions for the New Year

Happy New Year from all of us here at Amarillo Professional Counseling and Consultation. As is common custom, you may be reflecting on the previous year, and setting goals and intentions for the next.

We want you to remember that you matter and you deserve care. You deserve safety and boundaries. You deserve to be seen and heard. These statements are true and should be considered when reflecting on the previous years and setting your intentions for the next.

Beware of goals and intentions that reinforce shame. These can be masked as healthy and good, but if they reinforce your not-enoughness, then they will likely be unsustainable. For example, the goal of exercising or consuming healthy foods is a wonderful way to honor your body. But if you are pursuing these goals to earn enoughness or to look a certain way, then these goals may be ridden with shame—suggesting that you are not enough, that you must be different to deserve care or love. Our attitude toward ourselves matters. It matters because you matter.

There is value in caring for your body because your body deserves care. Practice compassionate care. There is value in being intentional and working toward goals that honor your values. Practice leaning into values that are important to you and using your unique giftedness to live according to your mission in life.  If you don’t know what your core values are, this is a good place to start. Identify what matters to you. What gives you meaning? Then identify ways you can live out your values.

This work may seem simple but we acknowledge that it is not. You may have to unlearn cultural messages around what makes you enough. You may have hurt or trauma that makes caring for yourself difficult or even scary. Take care of you and seek support. Practice believing you matter.

For more information about leaning into your values we recommend The Happiness Trap by Harris and Aisbett or Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. For information about finding meaning we enjoy the book Burnout by Nagoski and Nagoski.