A January Cocoon
I have learnt that starting the year a little slower, creating time for rest, reflection, intention setting and some gentle creativity, supports me to be really ready for the year ahead.
I used to want to dive straight into the new year at a hundred miles an hour. I was always ready, or so I thought, to really get going and make sure that I was achieving all the things from 1st January onwards. But the more I tuned in and connected with the seasons and nature, I realised this wasn’t really helping me to make the best of my year. January is now my month of cocooning and here are ten things I will be doing this month to support me in this practice and to really prepare me for the year ahead.
Journalling - I find that I often fall out of my daily journalling practice in December as the month gets busy and full, and all this extra stuff has to be squeezed in, so I make an effort to get back into the flow in the first week of January. It then becomes part of my routine for the rest of the year.
Journalling also really helps me to think about the year gone by and the year ahead. What did I learn? What am I grateful for? What could have been better? What do I want to take forward into the new year? What do I want to leave behind?
Meditation - I often meditate before I journal and I find that making time for extra meditations in January supports me to go deep within and discover guidance for the year ahead. I regularly buy meditations that I don’t always have time to do at the time, so I go back through emails and create a list of meditations that I have access to and work through them this month.
Mindful Walking - No dogs, no children, no music, no audiobooks, just me and the beautiful headspace that is created when we walk without distractions. Time to think and time to really notice the world around me. Some of my best creative ideas have come to me on a mindful walk.
A Letter To Yourself - I love taking time to write myself a letter that I will open at the end of the year. How do I want to feel at the end of 2024? What do I hope to have achieved? Who do I hope to have spent time with? Where do I want to visit? It is a beautiful and different way to set a vision for yourself that can then support you to create goals, routines, habits and intentions that all lead you to becoming this vision of your future self in December 2024. “What would my future self do?” “What would she want right now?”
A Creative Basket - I know I share this regularly but it’s such a good one for January. For cozy evenings and rainy days, for slow creative projects and simple ones. What do you want to create this January or this year? I have a vision of a 2024 quilt that I work on a little bit each day. Let’s see! By gathering projects into a basket or two it really supports you to do a little each day because you have everything to hand. And nothing looks as cozy and inviting as a basket!
A Pile of Books and an Audible Wishlist - If you want to read more this year then start pulling together a pile or a wishlist. If all you can do is read ten pages a day, I promise you that will still result in a lot of books being read in 2024. Ten pages a day will add up to 3,660 pages this year!
A Vision Board - January is the perfect month to create a vision board. It might be for the whole of 2024 or for the first half or first quarter. Or simply for now. It is a beautiful creative process that will really help you to see what you are wanting to create and manifest this year. I find that it often pulls out unexpected things and is a really beautiful companion to journalling and meditation.
Clearing Space - I am beginning my second year of really intentional clutter and space clearing. I feel like I am on level two now. And this month I am concentrating on the areas that will support me to work and create all that I want to this year.
Diary Planning - Who do you want to see this year? Where do you want to visit? How many days do you want that are just for you? The more good stuff you get into your diary early on, the more good stuff will happen for you in 2024. Life is short, so make sure it is full of time with people you love, adventures, precious alone time, time for learning new things, time spent on whatever makes you happy. It doesn’t matter if you can’t see your old friends until November, book it in now and before you know it you’ll be sitting down for a cozy Winter lunch together and you will all be so grateful you booked it in back at the beginning of the year.
My Word and Intentions for the year - and finally in January I make time for choosing my word for the year and setting my intentions. This word will ground you, guide you and protect you. Choose wisely but remember if you get to March and it’s not working you are absolutely allowed to choose again. Create intentions from this word and write them out regularly. Be more intentional in 2024 than you have ever been before. I’ll be guiding you and supporting you with this throughout the year, so that we can all have our best year yet whatever lies ahead for us.
Enjoy entering your January cocoon today. With love and light for a beautiful 2024. x