Celebrating the New Year has always been my favorite times of year. I remember, as a child, my parents having big parties with friends and family over. We would make noise makers out of milk jugs and rocks, wear funny hats, play games, eat cracker jacks and watch Dick Clark bring the ball down... when the count down would start, we would all run outside and meet the neighbors hooting and hollering and shaking our jugs to ring in the New Year. That was the climax of the party and it seemed so simple.
I have experienced and witnessed, as I have gotten older, that Holiday's though beautiful and wonderful, can also be busy and stressfull and tense.
Here are some tips toward a stressfree and Healthy New Year's Eve that can enhance your experience.
Finding Joy:
Share gratitudes from the year: if you are solo, you can do this in your journal or simply on a piece of paper. With family or a group, you can go around and share things that you were thankful for this past year.... family, friends, situations, things, etc. This practice is good for any day of the year and is especially great on New Year's Eve as a symbolic way to close out the year with appreciation while creating space for more things to be grateful for in the upcoming year.
Create a vision board: using old magazines, google images, pictures, words, phrases, etc... make a collage of things that you want to attract into your life in the upcoming year. These things can be around any element of your life...activities, feelings, circumstance, material objects and so on. Be specific with it. Our brain likes pictures and doesn't differentiate between what is real and what is vividly imagined. This project can really inspire some massive manifestation. You can get posterboard at the Dollar tree 2 for $1 along with a glue stick to put it all together. I have done this every year for the past 10+ years. I often frame them and put them in a highly trafficed area of my home. They can be great reminders of who and where you were as well as conversation pieces. It is also fun to look back on them to see how well you manifested.
Play: recreate that childlike wonder by allowing your inner child to play. Pick a board game, play cards, color, dance, bake cookies. What are some of the things you loved to do as a child? Most of us rarely take the time relax let alone play. If you have kids, they will enjoy this too... if not, that's okay - your inner child will appreciate it.
Engage in activities that fit with you and your core values. If you are not a drinker, plan an alcohol free night encouraging other friends to celebrate with out libations. If you love music, make a play list that highlights songs you enjoyed this past year or better yet - play some of your own... Create circumstances that will bring you joy and allow you to be in your full self expression with out negativity.
Know your needs:
Rest up: if you are not a night owl and know you will be staying up late - make sure to get some good rest in the day before and plan a very light day for yourself the following day. Feeling fatigued rarely helps anyones mood or social expression, let along their joy. If late night is your normal, it is still good to plan for some down time before and after. Honoring our body's need to rest is crucial to longevity in a late night lifestyle.
Plan with intention: If you have special wants or needs - communicate them clearly ahead of time or make sure you have what you need to meet them. Going out to celebrate can be a challenge for some, especially when there are food sensitvities, specific personal preferences and elements around the environment that you will be in that are outside of your direct control. It is not the hosts responsibility to accomodate and entertain all involved. Social gatherings work best when everyone brings something to the table...whether that is a gluten free vegetarian meal option, ear plugs, an extra sweatshirt or your favorite game. Advocating on your own behalf and being prepared for the night can make or break the evening for you and those you are with. If you are solo and plan on celebrating with a quiet evening in, set a loose plan around what you would like to focus on or do to createa a night you'll remember.
Be open to flow:
Even with the best planning and the best of intentions... things can go sideways at times. Be open to the shift and flow without attachment to the outcome. The universe has a way of putting us in circumstances that provide keys to unlock doors that we didn't know were closed. This may show up as meeting new people, learning something new and interesting or finding within yourself an opening to something profound that will allow you to move forward in life in a new and exciting way.
Enjoy your evening...
Here's to a Healthy and Happy 2016!!