New Year, Same You: Why You Shouldn't Start New Habits in January

Episode 7: New Year – Same Amazing You

Happy New Year! But before you dive into those resolutions, I need to tell you something: January is actually the WORST time to start new habits.

In this episode, I'm explaining why your motivation is so low in January, why the pressure to keep New Year's resolutions is setting you up to fail, and what you should be doing instead.

What you'll learn:

• Why January is the worst time to start new habits (and when you should start instead)
• The problem with impossibly high expectations and how to avoid the failure cycle
• How to create a SMART plan that actually works (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
• Why using January for reflection and planning is so much more powerful
• How to break big goals down into small, sustainable steps

Practical strategies covered:

• Why rest and recovery matter more than gym memberships in January
• How to reflect on what you actually want (not what you think you should want)
• When to start new habits for maximum success (hint: not January!)
• Bach Flower remedies for January blues: Hornbeam, Gentian, Mustard, Wild Rose
• My Bach flower blend for Motivation

This episode is perfect for you if: You're feeling pressured to overhaul your life in January, you've failed at New Year's resolutions before, or you just want a more realistic, sustainable approach to goal-setting.

You're already amazing. You don't need to become a new version of yourself – you just need small, sustainable steps towards feeling better.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:09

Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you found this helpful, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review as it helps other busy mums discover the show. If you want to dive deeper, book a free discovery call to see how we can work together one-to-one or join me on Instagram at Homeopathic Harmony, where we can continue the conversation. And don't forget to grab your free guide to beating insomnia when you join my email list, because I know sleep is precious when you're juggling everything else. The links are in the show notes. I'll see you next week. New Year, same you. Why you shouldn't start new habits in January. So happy New Year! January can actually be a really miserable time of year. The weather is cold and grey, that credit card bill has arrived, or maybe another credit card bill. Everywhere you look there are adverts for losing weight, giving up smoking and getting fit. My message today: don't do any of these things during January. What? Yep, you heard right, don't do any of these things during January. January is the worst time to start new habits. So I'm going to talk about what you should be doing instead and how to set yourself up for success later on in the year. So as I said, January can be really miserable. So let's do a bit of a reality check. The weather is miserable, the days are short and dark, your motivation is quite low in January. The pressure to keep up New Year's resolutions is too high, and most people have given up on them by the middle of January anyway, and that just makes your motivation take more of a nosedive. Have a real think about it. You're tired from the festive season. You're probably still recovering late nights, rich food, social exhaustion. And your body is naturally wanting to hibernate, not sign up for a 6 a.m. gym session. I'm definitely not at the gym at 6 a.m. in the morning. And the messages all around us are relentless. January Health Month, and these are just a few of them. They're littered with physical and mental health awareness days and expectations. V January, walk your dog month, love your liver month. Dry January, join the gym, improve your diet, work off that Christmas indulgence, pay back those debts. It's everywhere. Social media is full of transformation posts, before and after photos, the whole thing. Everyone seems to be starting afresh. As I said before, the truth, most resolutions will definitely be abandoned by February if you've started them in January. So don't make it harder on yourself. If you do want to make a plan to change, start with small, sustainable steps. These are much more achievable and have a long-term benefit rather than short-term benefit, and then you give up. When people set impossibly high expectations, they feel like a failure when they don't meet them, even when everything is set against them. They decide to go to the gym five times a week, give up sugar completely, and read 50 books this year. And by week two, they've missed three gym sessions, had biscuits with tea, and haven't opened a single book. Then you start to feel rubbish about yourself. It's not helpful and it's not motivating, and you're just setting yourself up to fail. So what should you be doing instead? Use a SMART plan. So SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. So instead of saying I'm going to get fit, say I'm going to walk 20 minutes three times a week, starting in March. This is specific. You're going you're saying what you're going to do, which is to walk for 20 minutes. It's measurable. You know when you've walked for 20 minutes. It's achievable. You're not saying you're going to run a marathon. It's relevant because you're wanting to get fit and it's time-bound. You've specified it's 20 minutes, it's three times a week, and you're going to start in March. You can make yourself accountable by telling others your goal so that they can support you and you feel that you have an audience who is watching you if you're not going to do what you said you're going to do. You can chart your progress in a diary and celebrate the small wins. So ticking things off, giving yourself a gold star, a reward, whatever it is. So if you've walked three times this week, brilliant. Celebrate that however you choose to, because your body is going to get that hit of dopamine and want to do more. Don't focus on the fact that you didn't go to the gym, focus on what you did do. So if we're not supposed to be starting new things in January, what should you be doing instead? I like to advise to use January wisely for planning. It's a great thing to improve health, your health in January, but instead use it for reflecting. What do you want to come out of the coming year? What did you enjoy about last year? What do you not want to repeat this year? Make a list, a mood board, a Pinterest board, whatever works for you, and get really clear on what you actually want, not what you think you should want. Break it down. Start breaking goals into small steps. If the goal is to feel healthier, what does that actually mean to you? Is it more energy, better sleep, less pain, more time for yourself or your family? Once you know what it means, you can work backwards from there. Do you want more energy? What would help with that? Would that be maybe going to bed 30 minutes earlier, cutting down on caffeine, maybe eating more protein at breakfast? Pick one thing and start there. So what I think is that you should actually start until sort of February or March, ideally March, because that is when spring is blooming. So it's naturally the time for new beginnings. The days will be getting longer, the weather will be starting to improve, and you've had that time to plan. You're not exhausted from the festive season, things have got back into a routine, and you're in a much better headspace to commit to something new. So in this way, you're working with your body's rhythms, not against them, and also nature's rhythms. So if you are feeling low, unmotivated, or overwhelmed in January, backflower remedies can be really powerful here and can positively affect your mood. So the key remedies for this are horn beam, which is brilliant for that Monday morning, can't be bothered, no motivation feeling. Gen Shian is great if feeling discouraged or pessimistic. Mustard is for days that just feel really heavy and you're sad for no reason whatsoever. And wild rose is for apathy and resignation when you just think, well, this is my lot and I can't really do much about it. These remedies are gentle and they're incredibly effective at shifting your emotional state. And I can create custom blends if you need something more tailored to your specific feelings. But I will leave a link for my 10 blends that I have on my website as a link in the show notes. So, what are your action steps for today? So, step one, give yourself permission to rest in January. You don't have to start a new diet, join the gym, or overhaul your entire life. Rest, recover, be kind to yourself. There is no rush. Step two, reflect and plan. So get a notebook or open a note on your phone. Write down what you want from this coming year. What did you enjoy from last year? And what do you want to stop doing? What do you want more of in your life? Make a list or a mood board or a Pinterest board, whatever works for you, and get really clear on your intentions. And step three, break it down into smart goals. So take those big goals, break them into small, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. Pick one thing to start with. Not ten things, just one. And start that thing in March, not January. If you're feeling low or stuck, try the Backflower Remedies as I suggested before. And contact me if you're interested in a custom blend of those. As always, feel free to book a free discovery call with me if you'd like more support around this. So as a wrap-up, January is a miserable month. Your motivation is low and the pressure is high. So don't start new things in January. Use it instead for rest, reflection, and planning. Break down your goals into smart goals. Start in March, and if you need some emotional support, the Backflower remedies are there for you. You're already amazing. You don't need to become a brand new, shiny version of yourself. You just need small, sustainable steps towards feeling better. Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you found this helpful, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review as it helps other busy mums discover the show. If you want to dive deeper, book a free discovery call to see how we can work together one-to-one, or join me on Instagram at Homeopathic Harmony, where we can continue the conversation. And don't forget to grab your free guide to beating insomnia when you join my email list, because I know sleep is precious when you're juggling everything else. The links are in the show notes. I'll see you next week.