Whether or not you’re a believer in resolutions, the beginning of a new year naturally brings a sense of new beginnings and a refreshed sense of motivation to realign your goals and lifestyle. However, the current reality is that many of the challenges we have faced over the past two years are being carried into this year. It’s a mistake to think that the uncertainty, disruptions and chaos won’t play a part in 2022 – they absolutely will. This means that right now is an important point in time to consciously frame our thinking to set a positive and productive tone for the year ahead.
Everyone has faced unprecedented challenges to varying degrees due to the pandemic. But we’ve managed the uncertainty, disruptions, volatility and chaos. We’ve adapted, overcome and learned how to push forward, continuing to function, survive, and even thrive at times. This is a mark of incredible resilience, a value that we have all learned and adopted over the past year or so, and one that will benefit us in the future.
We all have the ability to engineer our own 2022 experience to ensure that it can be a positive year filled with growth, connections and a celebration of the wonderful human experience that is ahead of us. A significant part of this is setting a roadmap for how you approach each day and planning what steps you will take to ensure your health and happiness is a number one priority. Below is a guide to how you can instil the four key pillars of our CARE philosophy into your day-to-day life to help keep you balanced, grounded, and empowered to face any challenges that lie before you in the year ahead.
Connect to Country
At Eden, we’re huge advocates of connecting with nature – and we’re not alone. An ever-increasing body of research into ecopsychology points to the benefits of spending time outdoors for reducing stress. As Eden is situated on 400 acres of lush national rainforest, this is a significant part of the healing experience for our guests.
It’s easy to get tunnel vision when the stress of the present moment envelops us. If you start to feel overwhelmed, removing yourself from the current situation and getting a breath of fresh air can be a naturally meditative experience to help clear your mind and shift your perspective.
Going for a walk, doing short bursts of exercises, practising mindfulness meditation or simply taking a few moments to focus on your breathing are some ways you can spend your time outdoors to maximise the healing benefits.
Align to Purpose
Although our overarching goals may remain consistent, the path we take to get there may need constant adjustment to accommodate for the ever-changing challenges we face. Don’t let this discourage you. When obstacles to your original plans or intentions present themselves, return to your ‘why’. This simple act of alignment will help reignite your sense of purpose and motivation and help bring clarity to other options that are available to you.
If you feel as though you need to reevaluate or redefine your ‘why’, click here for our guide to setting clear goals as a foundation for success and manifesting them into reality.
Respect the Ritual
Resilience draws upon mental and physical strength to face and overcome new challenges as they present themselves. In order to do this to the best of our ability, we need to be constantly nurturing our wellbeing. This should be embedded as a priority each and every day. Regardless of what is on your agenda, respect the time and effort needed to carry out the rituals that rejuvenate your mind, body and soul, as the benefits of these will flow on to everything else you do.
The beginning and the end of the day are ideal moments to take some time for you. Setting a conscious morning routine prepares you to enter the day ahead with calm and clarity, whilst a nighttime routine allows you to wind down and process the day just passed to start tomorrow with a fresh mind.
Engineer the experience
It can be easy to let life control us rather than the other way around. However, we all have the power to shape our experience through the choices we make and the mindset we adopt. This is an intention we can set at the start of every day, striving toward the most positive and productive version of the day’s events. This can make all the difference to how we perceive events or circumstances and influences the impact they have on us and how we respond to them.
Journaling is a wonderful way to organise and express your thoughts and intentions for the day and hold yourself accountable. Setting a list of small goals to tick off or reflecting on the highlights of the day can help reframe the day’s events to help view them in a positive light.
There is so much that lies out of our hands, but what is within our power is how we perceive these changes. We should face 2022 with a sense of confidence and pride that we’ve managed this before and are more skilled and resilient to navigate our way through any challenges this year may bring. And in any moment of doubt or lack of direction, our CARE philosophy is here when you’re in need of guidance.
