A New Way To Enter The New Year
Happy New Year!!!
or…is it?
Entering a new year can be full of hope and promise. We offer one another New Year’s greetings full of well-wishes and good things. We consider new ways of living and being and doing and set resolutions to bring such ways to fruition.
yet hope and promise can so easily be twisted into self-criticism and judgment that lead us to set unrealistic and unfair expectations for ourselves.
A striking example of this involves diet culture’s obsession with tying a new year to a “new you” – implying that the current you in your current body is not good enough and needs to be changed. This can lead us to set resolutions centered on restrictive diets and punishing exercise.
Ads pop up on TV and social media inviting us to “invest in ourselves” through the purchase of the latest diet or exercise program. Yet there’s nothing new about these pervasive efforts to entice us to spend money on changing to fit diet culture standards.
and many of us can relate to the inevitably of any joy of newness quickly soured by a feeling of hopelessness and failure.
I wonder: Is there a NEW way to enter into this new year?
an invitation to healing and wholeness that can bring to life the hope that lives within?
The answer is YES!
In fact, for centuries many have reflected on the year that has passed and considered the year ahead through the lens of gratitude, connection, and hope. One such method is called an Examen, a daily and yearly means of checking in and setting our minds and hearts toward that which enhances our lives.
This practice is derived from the work of Ignatius of Loyola, a sixteenth-century Spanish soldier wounded in battle. While recovering, Ignatius experienced a shift in consciousness from one steeped in suffering and loneliness to one of great gratitude and connection. Ignatius did eventually recover from his wounds, laid down his armor, and began a spiritually centered life that included the founding of the Jesuit order. His work included creating the Examen to help others tune in to their own consciousness.
whether we are spiritual or not, the Examen continues to invite us to take a new look at our lives in search of deeper meaning and direction.
Below, you will find two versions.
The first is a Daily Examen that can be used at the end of each day. The second is an Annual Examen developed to help you discover wisdom from the prior year to carry with you into the new one.
I hope you will find these helpful in your own journey!
DAILY EXAMEN
on days you can’t hear yourself
slow down to
let your mind and body
catch up to each other
stillness – rupi kaur
COME INTO STILLNESS.
Take a moment to slow down, breathe deeply, and allow your mind, body, and heart to align.
REFLECT ON THE DAY WITH GRATITUDE.
For what are you thankful this day?
TUNE INTO YOUR EMOTIONS.
What feelings arise as you reflect on the day? Which are comfortable to sit with? Which ones bring discomfort?
Is there a particular emotion that best sums up this day?
CHOOSE ONE ASPECT OF THIS DAY FOR FURTHER REFLECTION.
Where are you being invited to deeper understanding?
LOOK TOWARD TOMORROW.
What are you invited to tune in? To let go?
How are you being invited to learn and grow?
ENTER AGAIN INTO STILLNESS.
Pause.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Give yourself the gift of rest.
ANNUAL EXAMEN
(Adapted from Samantha Devereaux, Debra Mooney, and Vinita Hampton Wright.)
REST IN THE PRESENT MOMENT.
· Take a moment to place your feet on the floor or your hands on the table and really feel the connection to here and now.
· Take a few deep breaths.
· Do your best to clear your mind of to do lists, worries, and the like. As distractions arise, let them float by like clouds in the sky.
REVIEW THE PAST YEAR WITH GRATITUDE.
Pay attention to those moments when you felt most thankful. Consider the following:
· What did I appreciate about myself as an individual?
· What did I appreciate about the people in my life?
· In what ways have I experienced wonder, awe, or curiosity? What unanswered questions do I have?
· What have I changed my mind about? What am I grateful to have learned?
TAKE NOTE OF THE FELT EXPERIENCE OF PRESENCE/CONNECTION.
· When did I feel most connected to myself? To others?
· When did I feel least connected to myself? To others?
· What was I passionate about? When was I defensive?
· How might I be closing myself off to people or ideas?
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR EMOTIONS.
Think over the year again and notice your emotional reactions.
· Where did I feel joy?
· What most troubled me this year?
· Where was I most challenged?
· What events, conversations, relationships, or activities bring up the most emotion now, as I remember them?
· Spend time with these emotions, whether they are pleasant or disturbing. What can you learn about yourself or about your situation as you dwell in your emotional responses?
LOOK TOWARD THE NEW YEAR.
Consider the following:
· How am I being invited to expand my thinking?
· Where I am being invited to practice greater gratitude?
· What do I most need? Who or what may help me to meet this need?
ENTER INTO REST.
As you close out your time of reflection, enter once more into stillness. Breathe in healing energy to guide you; breathe out that which no longer serves you. Rest with gratitude for what was, what is, and what is to come.
Hi, I’m Laura!
I’m a trauma therapist who specializes in treating body image, disordered eating, grief and spiritual/religious trauma.
My hope is that the daily and/or annual Examen will help you feel empowered to connect with your internal wisdom and support you in deepening into connection with yourself and your needs.
If you’re in need of support, I would be honored to walk with you on your journey toward healing.
