If you’re feeling any pressure to set big goals for the new year right now, I hear you! I’m all for creating new habits to make us feel happier and healthier but if they become a burden and create stress, they’re no good for anyone.
And let’s be honest just getting through 2020 in one piece has been an achievement in itself. So whether you feel like running a marathon or having a Netflix marathon, do what’s right for you!
If you do want to reset and find creating positive intentions helpful, here are my top tips for goals without the guilt…
1. Set intentions out of self-love and compassion, not out of fear or pressure from anybody else. And celebrate your success, no matter how small that’s what drives motivation, rather than willpower alone.
2. Be realistic – and that means not being so hard on yourself! If something calls for 15 minutes a day but you only have 5, start with that.
3. Flip it into a positive. Instead of ‘stop doing X’ or ‘don’t do Y’, flip it into ‘start doing X’ or ‘do more Y’. My ‘add in’ vs ‘take out’ motto applies to more than just our diets!
4. Think about what’s most important to you personally and keep any goals you set focused on that. More time with family or more time to yourself. More productive work or more relaxation time – whatever’s relevant to you. We’re all beautifully unique and someone else’s goals you’ve seen on @instagram don’t need to be yours.
Goals don’t have to be grand gestures or physical actions. Tiny habits all add up – even just a couple of minutes a day while the kettle boils doing a breathing exercise or reading one page of that book on your list or adding one extra veggie a week to your meals.
If enjoying good gut health or getting on top of gut symptoms is one of your goals for 2021, in my book I lay out all my top habit-forming tips to help with your gut health journey.
