Why Every January Feels Hard for Changemakers
Learn how to navigate this seasonal mismatch between your body and work cycle, so you can ease into the year without burning out.
The start of a new year can be so exciting, and yet there’s a tension that often shows up for many changemakers:
Our bodies are saying “Slow down. Get cozy. It’s not time for action.” Yet the world around us says “It’s ‘go’ time. Get moving.”
To help us understand what’s at play here and how we can best navigate it to set ourselves and our teams up for an impactful year ahead, we can use the seasons as our guide. Here’s how.
SEASONS AT ODDS
If you’re in the northern hemisphere, there are not one, but two important seasons to be aware of at the start of the year: the season in the natural world AND the season your work is in.
In January, as the new year begins and many of us return to work after time spent with friends and family, the natural world—and, as a result, our bodies—are in one season: winter. The season of rest, rebuilding our resources, deep integration and incubation.
But your work, on the other hand, is likely in a spring season—a time of new beginnings and shifting into action, sparked by the start of the year. During this time, there can be expectations that we focus on planning, strategizing, starting new projects and initiating new conversations.
ADDRESSING THE MISMATCH
If you feel the tension between these two seasons every January, the antidote isn’t to completely re-organize your work around the rhythms of the natural world.
Not only is that not realistic, but the truth is we’re always moving through many different cycles in our life, work, bodies and environment simultaneously, so there’s no way these seasons and phases are ever going to be perfectly aligned—nor is that the goal.
Instead, we can learn to identify + anticipate when our internal rhythms might be at odds with what’s been asked of us externally (by work, family, our activism, etc.), so we can find more ease and flow.
3 STRATEGIES FOR FINDING EASE
When you know that you’re entering a season where your body might be moving slower than the world around you, there are 3 key strategies I recommend that can help you adapt rather than “push through”—a critical shift that ensures you’re not burning out before a new cycle has even started.
While you can definitely try all 3 of these strategies together, it can be helpful to start with the one that feels most accessible to you right now, especially if the year feels like it’s already taking a toll on your well-being.
Reduce energy-depleting activities: Write down everything that’s on your plate—personally and professionally. Then, considering what is within your control, what can you set aside that is either depleting your energy or simply just not essential right now? Then, ask for help or let those things go until the time is right to pick them back up.
Increase energy-generating activities: In winter, the energy we need often comes from rest. What kind of rest + restoration right now would help you have more energy for what your life is asking of you? Is it a nap, a dance class, a phone call with a friend? Identify one action or activity and add it to your calendar. If it feels good to do, see if you can make it a weekly practice.
Identify the pressure source: If you’re feeling pressured to go full speed right now, get honest about where it’s coming from. Sometimes it is external pressure—from family, social media, our boss or clients. But sometimes it’s coming from us, because we’ve so deeply internalized that we “should” be rushing into the new year. Rather than figuring out who to blame, your answer can help you identify the patterns showing up in your life, so you can (1) shift what’s in your control and/or (2) be proactive around what’s not.
When you first get started with these strategies, it’s likely that you’re using them reactively, adapting in real time when you find yourself exhausted by a work cycle that’s asking more than you have to give.
But ultimately, the goal is to start noticing the pattern—such as if this happens for you each January—so that you can proactively build these strategies into your winter plans each year, so that you can ease into the year, rather than start from a place of depletion.
Remember: Business As Usual benefits from your exhaustion and overwhelm. But your energy is yours, and it’s one of your most valuable renewable resources. I hope these insights help you reclaim it for yourself, your team, your communities and our planet.
If you’d like some expert support implementing these strategies for yourself or your team, reach out. I’ll share no-pressure ways we can work together to get you the support you need, so your efforts are as life-giving as the impact you hope to make.
Photo Credit: Liana Tril