Step small. Achieve big.

Once again it is that time of year where we are looking towards a new year and new beginnings. The time to make resolutions as to how we are going to be better next year. Fitter, stronger, slimmer, cleverer. All things we want to be but have never quite got round to doing.

This year will be different but you’re probably getting bored of hearing that by now. Currently I am in tier 4 so there won’t be any gyms to join or any community college classes to look forward to and the vaccine is going to take a while to role out. As at the date of writing this the news was saying 22 million people will be vaccinated by April. As there are over 65 million people in this country that can only mean we won’t be returning to anything looking like normal until after Easter at the earliest.

So yet again its time to think about what we can do in the short term and what we can do using those resources that are close at hand.

As I am sure you will have read setting large goals often leads to people becoming disillusioned within the first couple of weeks and the resolutions being broken before they have even started. Most people have broken at least one of their resolutions by the end of the first week in January and all of their resolutions by the end of February.

So let’s look at things that are easy but still give us a sense of achievement. Dry January should be a little easier this year as the pubs are probably going to stay closed through out the month.

One thing that starts small and fits in perfectly with everything I have been talking about is mindfulness. Mindfulness is about noticing what is happening in the present moment. Not dwelling upon the past and not worrying about the future. Easy things to talk about but very difficult to do. 

The wonderful thing about mindfulness is that even a small amount can help you. It can help your mental health and it can help with sleep which then can help with your mental health.

The other great thing about mindfulness is that you are supposed to start small. If the first thing you ever do on your mindfulness journey is go off on a five day silent retreat you will most definitely not feel the peace and wonder you can get from that experience if you work up to it gradually.

The first thing that can happen when you start your mindfulness journey is you can notice things that you don’t like. The problem with ignoring things is that you can’t fix them but the benefit of ignoring things is that you can avoid them. Avoiding things can be bad for your health but when you start your mindfulness journey and you start noticing things you can be forgiven for thinking that mindfulness has led you to suddenly experience pain or worry. The pain or worry you might feel when you start practicing mindfulness was always there you just didn’t notice it before.

You can’t deal with this pain and worrying if you don’t acknowledge it exists. 

So how do you avoid falling into a deep dark hole on day one of your journey?

You take it slow and take very small steps.

Day one in your journey needs only to be five or ten minutes. Even sitting for five minutes can feel like an eternity if you are not used to sitting still for any length of time. The first time you sit it is highly likely that your mind will wander and you will feel like there was no point. 

That is fine. Please keep with it. What does it matter if you ‘waste’ five minutes a day?

I’m not now going to tell you how amazing your journey will be and how those 5 minutes a day will eventually lead to enlightenment and a better calmer life. You will find your own way but I think it is worth it and hopefully once you have tried it so will you.

If you are interested I will be posting a number of five minute meditations on my facebook page for January that you can follow along with.

See how you get on and let me know your thoughts

Enjoy your journey and remember what else would you be doing with those five minutes a day?