New Year, Same Me: How Mindfulness Can Lead to Self-Acceptance in 2025
With the new year comes the same old societal pressures to eat healthier, go to the gym more, use social media less, monitor those Netflix binges, save more money, be less stressed, and so on. This type of goal often stems from things our society values, rather than our personal values and needs. These external pressures can be a distraction from goals that would better serve us because there is a “should” component rather than the internal motivation and alignment with our values. For example, I “should” be doing a digital detox, because my friends are trying it out this weekend. Don’t go “shoulding” on yourself, especially when it’s misaligned with your own personal goals and values. When you incorporate mindfulness into reflecting on these values, you can better identify what a meaningful life looks like on your own terms. Today’s blog takes a deeper dive into how mindfulness can actually help you work toward radical self-acceptance (as opposed to the self-rejection so many of us struggle with) in the year ahead.
The Antidote of Mindfulness
So, how can we combat the temptation of the “shoulds” to find genuine fulfillment this year? How can we make tangible and lasting changes in our lives? One idea is to bolster our mindfulness skills to take inventory of what’s working in our lives already, rather than identifying all that we need to change in order to feel better about ourselves. Our society puts a lot of pressure on us to always be productive and to work harder and harder. While setting goals is important, it’s also essential to take time to embrace feelings of contentment. We can use mindfulness to halt the cycle of doing “more” or “less” and give us space to just “be.”
Mindfulness is one of those healthy buzzwords that’s been around for a while - but what is it really? According to the American Psychological Association (2024), “Mindfulness is awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings.” This may sound simple, and in some ways, it is! However, if you are someone who is consistently productive and busy, someone who is anxious, or someone who is bored and unfulfilled, mindfulness can be your secret weapon to stopping those maladaptive habits and unhelpful thoughts in their tracks.
Getting To The Mindfulness Gym
Mindfulness is a way to flex our acceptance muscles - it helps remind us that there are things in our control, and many things not in our control. Finding peace within this conundrum is the source of much of my therapeutic work with clients in D.C. It can feel overwhelming and messy to acknowledge how busy we are and how disconnected we can be, especially from the people, passions, and pursuits that we care about most.. It can feel comforting to have a sense of control, but this is also a bit of an illusion. True comfort and a sense of inner-safety and peace comes from a deeper, more mindful place. Mindfulness can guide us back to ourselves and to a more intentional way of living. It gives us small moments of presence, peace, and calm, which can have a ripple effect throughout our days. Kind of like doing strength training everyday for months, just to find that suddenly there’s a much stronger muscle there.
Practice Makes Progress
Let me start with this: there is no such thing as perfection when it comes to mindfulness. Mindfulness may simply be a practice, one that leads to progress rather than perfection. A mindfulness practice can look different for everyone and should feel genuine to you and your needs in any given moment. Some may argue that having a sense of curiosity and self-awareness, for example, is a mindfulness practice in and of itself! Mindfulness can include breathing exercises, or noticing your breaths in and out; meditation, in whatever way or form that works for you (guided, unguided, using an app, sitting still, driving, noticing thoughts as they come and go, etc);, walks in nature; or the quaint moment of solitude that comes with drinking a cup of tea or coffee before the day begins. Mindfulness can be genuinely tapping in to say “no” when you don’t want to do something, or “yes” to trying something new and exciting. Mindfulness can even be setting boundaries and sticking to them.
Taking Mindfulness Stock and Inventory
To figure out what mindfulness techniques you want to integrate into your life, it may be useful to do some self-reflection and self-inventory. Below are some questions to begin exploring your needs and naming things that you already know work for you. I hope this helps you identify the progress you have already made, the successes to celebrate, and inspire you to grow in areas of your life that are underserved.
Here are 12 questions to ask yourself to begin your mindfulness journey for 2025:
Who helps me feel grounded?
What are my top 5 values?
Where do I feel calmest?
When was the last time I felt awestruck?
Why am I compelled to do X (work over time, scroll on social media, etc)?
How much time do I spend in nature?
Who is someone I can ‘just be’ with?
What coping strategies do I have that work well for me?
Where can I go to connect with myself?
When is a moment in life where I felt most alive?
Why do I want to make a change?
How often do I spend time doing things just for fun?
I hope these questions and your reflections on them inspire you to embrace a mantra of “new year, same me” to recognize that we don’t need radical life changes to be loved and accepted. We are worthy, just the way we are, in this exact moment. Let’s find the power in the present and within ourselves. I wish you a happy new year and hope that 2025 is full of self-discovery and self-acceptance!
About The Author
Shelby’s therapeutic approach is one of a true partnership, where the therapeutic relationship matters most. Creating a safe space where an individual’s most authentic self can shine is what she prides herself on. As a former teacher turned therapist, she’s well-versed in the challenges of navigating so much change through young adulthood. She specializes in trauma, grief, TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and group therapy– being the lead therapist on TSG’s first group therapy offerings.
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Begin Your Mindfulness Journey and Embrace Who You Are!
The new year is all about fresh starts, but what if the resolution you need this year is simply embracing who you already are? Instead of chasing perfection, let’s focus on accepting ourselves—imperfections and all. Our team is here to help you discover the power of mindfulness and create positive change from within. Take the first step toward self-acceptance by reaching out to us:
1. Schedule a consultation via our contact form.
2. Meet with one of our compassionate therapists.
3. Begin your mindfulness journey for self-acceptance and growth.
