Hi there,
How’s the Betwixtmas period? Sometimes I think this is my favourite part of the Holiday Season when the pressure eases and we can forget what day of the week it is.
In this final episode of the podcast mini-series, A Very Well-ish Holiday Season, I’m exploring how to make the most of this pause moment before all the New Year, New You messaging begins.
I talk about how to shift our focus from reinvention to nurturing existing habits and offer some practical steps for self-reflection. I also talk about how to start 2025 in a better place, one that promotes curiosity, creativity, and self-compassion for all the days of 2025.
If you prefer to read, I’ve included a transcript of the entire episode below.
Wishing you all the best for the New Year.
Claire
Here we are in that curious space between Christmas and New Year.
It's time when the world feels like it's hit pause.
And yet for many of us, there might also be this low hum of pressure in the background. The pressure to reflect. Pressure to plan. Pressure to fix even, or to think about what to fix. As the clock ticks toward January.
But today’s episode isn't about resolutions or fresh starts. That will come soon anyway, and I have something for you at the end of this post that will help with that. It's really about pausing for a moment and exploring where you've landed at the end of this year and gently considering what you might like to carry forward.
Because you don't have to throw everything away to create something new.
I know this time of year can feel tender. There might be a mix of emotions: gratitude, exhaustion, joy, and hope all kind of tangled together. It's both my favorite part of Christmas and the one that I'm not quite sure what to do with.
I love the Boxing Day walk when we blow the cobwebs out of our hair, even though the kids complain about leaving the house. That's also something about leftovers that feels indulgent. And Nigella Lawson’s recipe for Christmas hash. Cheese boards and cakes are still to be eaten. Crazy Multi-layered Turkey sandwiches to make.
I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing with myself. Am I spending time? Maybe wasting it a little. I might be peopled out. I might feel a little bit burned out too on Christmas: like it’s starting to feel a bit icky. I probably also don't know what day of the week it is. I thought it was Thursday when it was Friday and somehow I lost a day.
New Year isn't quite here yet.
So wherever you're listening or reading from, whether you're on a quiet walk, curled up on the sofa, or even just stealing a few moments of solitude on a drive to the shops, I hope this post meets you where you are and however, you're feeling right now.
Today, we're going to be looking at where you've been this year. We're almost ready to close out 2024. This is a great moment to capture some things we'll be taking with us or leaving behind as we go into the new year.
The first step is about looking back without judgment.
I want to start with a question for you. What did this year teach you about yourself? That feels huge, doesn't it? Like, it has to be a big lesson, such as discovering your resilience in a tough situation. And that might be the case for you. But it doesn't have to be. Maybe it's quieter, like realizing you feel most alive on a Sunday morning walk or when you put your phone down at dinner.
We often don't give ourselves credit for the small ways we adapt, and grow even, over time.
And growth in and of itself can feel like an odd idea. It always makes me think about that moment in When Harry Met Sally when Billy Crystal's character is in the personal growth section of the bookshop. Bearded.
Growth can feel like we always need to be in a state of becoming.
What I mean here is just something you've noticed about yourself that you might even like.
Think back over the past 12 months. If it helps you can even close your eyes and imagine the year as a journey. What were the peaks? The moments that brought you joy, connection or a deep exhale. What were the valleys? Where was the shore? And what surprised you along the way?
Sometimes it's easy to focus on what didn't happen. The habits that we didn't stick to. But what if we shifted our attention to what did take root?
This year, I realized that rest doesn't have to feel productive to be valuable. I've always struggled with slowing down. There's this little voice that whispers: “You're wasting time.”
But in the quiet moments this year, I've learned to rest. Just because I needed to. My body needed to. Not as a reward for finishing my to-do list which never gets finished. But as a way to remind myself that I'm worthy of care too.
It's a lesson I'm still learning. And it's also one that I'm carrying forward into the new year.
What about you? What's one thing that you discovered about yourself this year? Maybe it's something you didn't expect. Maybe it's something that feels small, but it's significant for you. These little discoveries matter more than we realize.
Step two is reframing the new year as a continuation, not a reinvention
As we look ahead, here's a hint about how I'd like to approach the new year.
It's a fun thought experiment for it to be a clean slate. But it doesn't have to be. You don't need to reinvent yourself to move forward. What if, instead of asking: “What do I need to change about myself?”, we asked, “What do I want to nurture?”
Here are a few thoughts to sit with and to try on as we head into the New Year.
What habit, mindset, or boundary felt good this year that you'd like to continue?
What's one small thing you'd like to invite into your life? Not to fix yourself. But to explore something new.
And what's one word or feeling you'd like to guide you into the next year?
I love the idea of choosing a word for the year. Not as a rule, but as a companion. A word that gently shifts you in the direction you want to go. For me, my word for the coming year is Curiosity because I want to stay open to questions, to possibilities, to the little surprises that show up.
What about you? If a word or feeling comes to mind jot it down. It doesn't have to be perfect or final.
It's just a whisper for now an inkling. The way you want to continue. rather than transform.
The third and final step is a practical one for gentle reflection.
Here's something simple that you can do this week if you're feeling reflective, but you're also unsure where to start. Take 10 minutes and write a letter to yourself this time next year as if you’re looking back on the year behind you.
What would you want to thank yourself for? What moments would you have hoped to experience? This isn't about setting goals. It's more about connecting with what matters to you: Your values, your joys, and what your version of a good life would look like.
This is also a good thing to do with those remaining Christmas cookies and a mug of your favorite hot drink.
It's a good thing just to spend some time on it and then maybe tuck that letter away somewhere until next year. And see where you went this year and how the two do or don't speak to each other.
Wherever you've landed this year know also that's okay. You've probably shifted and changed and navigated the world in ways you might not even recognize yet. And the new year, it's just another moment in your story. It is not a test that you have to pass or a plan that you have to get right.
If this podcast/ post has resonated with you I love to hear where you landed. Leave a comment here on Substack. I'd love to know what came up for you.
New Year, New Approach
If you want some more support stepping into the new year you can join our New Year, New Approach Mini-Challenge
It's a wonderful place to begin. You'll get some insight into why we make resolutions and why they often fail by the third week. You'll be given 12 ways to approach the new year that are more impactful, insightful, supportive, and playful.
Or upgrade and become a paying Subscriber and member of The Wellery to receive three alternatives to resolutions in the first weeks of January. You can carry these with you through the year and they might become the most important ways that you find to orientate yourself in 2025.
I hope that you'll join me as we start 2025 in a different place and with a much better way to well.
This is the last episode in our mini-series. I've loved making this so much that I'm making this podcast official. This is my commitment to myself and the thing I'm carrying forward into 2025.
Starting next month. join me for Well, Maybe, as I explore a year of living Well-ishly with some guests. Together let’s find a better way to well in 2025. I'll post these episodes still on Substack, but also on Spotify (and your favorite way to listen to podcasts).
Let me know if there’s anything you want to hear about in 2025 that can help you navigate your everyday well-being in ways that work for you and not against you. And maybe we can learn together about how to be more connected to ourselves, each other, and the world around us in 2025 (and beyond).
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