Thread by @HeardinLondon

One of the common objections I hear about doing any kind of self-care work is “I don’t have time”. Today I’m going create a slow 🧵 of gentle New Year’s Resolutions you could make to so it could feel like you have more ease in the time you do have.
Let’s start with:

- Reduce the guilt around resting
- Take more naps
- Stop thinking your weekends are time to cram extra work in
- Take your lunch breaks
- Enjoy the food you are eating
- Call an old friend once a week
- Write someone you love a letter
#NewYearPossibilites

- Put a monthly kitchen disco in your diary
- Read a page of a book before you get out of bed
- Close some tabs on your browser
- Spend three minutes every day thinking of an emotion you like and times your felt that
- Plan your day ahead of time
#NewYearPossibilites

- Make a decision to refuse to say unkind things about your body
- Swear more, if you think it is big, clever and funny
- Once a day have a speed cleaning session to your favourite tune you sing at the top of your lungs
- Try a new mediation / relaxation
#NewYearPossibilites

(I interrupt this thread of kind things you can do yourself to mention that if you’d like to do this in a lovely space, with lovely people, and help tame your brain from self-sabotage, pop on over to
selfcareschool.co.uk/p/possibilities
More gentle ideas of nice things shall be appearing)

- Get things out of your head and onto paper.
- Once a day wiggle your toes. Seriously. You have feet fingers attached to yourself and plonked on the ground most of the time. How absolutely ridiculous is that?
- Set a time to finish work and stick to it.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Find an elder you know who doesn’t “get” the internet, ask their favourite song from when they were young and introduce them to youtube as a jukebox.
- Unsubscribe from email marketing newsletters you don’t read.
- Take all year, but clean THAT cupboard.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Practice tiny ways you can tune into more of what your body wants.
- Create a mini gardening experiment of a plant pot in your kitchen which you pop seeds into when you cook.
- I'm not trying to be Baz Luhrmann, but you probably want to floss.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Give up on drying up. It is literally the only chore you will ever find in your life where if you leave it long enough, it does itself.
- Find a favourite leaf and go on a journey with it this year as it blooms and fades.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Stop overriding your emotions – instead ask them what they are trying to tell you
- Take a selfie once a week & spend 3 minutes staring at it & repeating “This is a human face.”or “This is a human body” – train your brain t look at yourself with neutrality
#NewYearPossibilites

- Stop doing things you don’t want to do to please other people in the hope they will like you more (spoiler: you’re trying to get them to like someone you are not).
- What old stationary are you holding onto which you never use? Use it or give it away.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Try to draw something you have a strong memory of. Don’t try and make it good, just give it a dabble.
- Stop wearing uncomfortable pants. You have bought them, but that does not necessarily mean they still fit you.
- Stop conflating weight and health.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Be willing to let other people be wrong about you.
- Look at your bank accounts on a regular basis. Fear of the unknown is always worse than strategising with facts.
- What can you give up which does not earn you money, time, peace or joy?
#NewYearPossibilites

- Find a task you do often and dislike and delegate it or give it up.
- Delete that app on your phone you have no intention of using.
- If you can, give blood.
- Ask your neighbour if they need anything from the shop when you go.
#NewYearPossibilities

(Another small thread interruption, if you’re enjoying these ideas, if you have a look in my bio there is a link to a free goals workbook you can get if you like working through things like this for NYE or journalling or generally having a bit of a mull about how it’s all going)

- Try cooking with a new spice.
- Clean out clothes with no longer fit you.
- Add another pillow to your bed. I suggest 5 minimum. If you can make it feel like you are sleeping in a cloud, why wouldn’t you?
#NewYearPossibilities

- Check all your reoccurring subscriptions and cancel ones you don’t want.
- Take full responsibility for keeping to your own boundaries – it is not other people’s job to enforce them, it’s yours.
#NewYearPossibilities

- Splash in a puddle. Jump or wheel. You do you, but do it with glee.
- Put a pebble you like the feel of in your jacket pocket and whenever you rediscover it, remind yourself that we’re all made of star dust.
- Sort your posture out. Thank me later.
#NewYearPossibilities

- Make a list of things you loved when you were a child. Which would you like to bring back into your life?
- If you’re able to, buy one thing for a food bank when you go shopping.
- Cook something using an ingredient from your nuclear fall-out cupboard.
#NewYearPossibilities

Oh no! The thread broke! I may repost the last few. Would people like me to continue tomorrow? I have a few more ideas how to stop feeling so exhausted and stop making New Year’s resolutions a futile exercise in self flagellation. Let me know if you’d like more tomorrow x

(Reposting last few to to reconnect the thread)

- Try cooking with a new spice.
- Clean out clothes with no longer fit you.
- Add another pillow to your bed. I suggest 5 minimum. If you can make it feel like you are sleeping in a cloud, why wouldn’t you?
#NewYearPossibilities

- Make a list of things you loved when you were a child. Which would you like to bring back into your life?
- If you’re able to, buy one thing for a food bank when you go shopping.
- Cook something using an ingredient from your nuclear fall-out cupboard.
#NewYearPossibilities

- Check all your reoccurring subscriptions and cancel ones you don’t want.
- Take full responsibility for keeping to your own boundaries – it is not other people’s job to enforce them, it’s yours.
#NewYearPossibilities

- Splash in a puddle. Jump or wheel. You do you, but do it with glee.
- Put a pebble you like the feel of in your jacket pocket and whenever you rediscover it, remind yourself that we’re all made of star dust.
- Sort your posture out. Thank me later.
#NewYearPossibilities

Right, I am calling it a night and will finish off the thread in the morning. If you cannot wait and want to discover some of your own answers, I have a free workbook full of prompts here: view.flodesk.com/pages/63a5c507…

- Put a pebble you like the feel of in your jacket pocket and whenever you rediscover
it, remind yourself that we’re all made of star dust.
- Sort your posture out.
- Reread your favourite book.
- Practice saying “No” without explaining yourself.
#NewYearPossibilites

(Added sorting your posture out twice - you obviously really need to stop looking like a croissant)

- Go to the gym, do some exercise or find some fun movement you enjoy because you WANT to, not because you will chat shit to yourself if you do not do it.
- Watch a sunset without distraction.
- Do the washing up at a mate’s house.
#NewYearPossibilites

The whole point of this thread is to show us we’ve conflated goals and New Year’s resolutions with adding more things to our already too packed lives. And it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’d like something different for 2023 join this brilliant bunch: selfcareschool.co.uk/p/possibilities

- Decide to reach out to mates who share their struggles online with more than just a sad emoji. They may not pick up the phone, but be the person who calls.
- You’re not going to find that sock. Let it go.
- Post books you have loved to friends you love.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Wilfully practice feeling a bit disappointed.

My podcast episode out today is about the art of disappointment. If you’d rather listen to some of these type of ideas instead of just reading a big long thread in Muskville podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sel…

#NewYearPossibilites

- Have a photoshoot with someone you love. Obviously, if you’re in uk I would love to do a portrait session with you but even if you’re not, use a camera phone, see what other people see. As much as the idea makes you flinch now, older you deserves it.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Make a firm commitment to yourself that you will not buy more hummus if there is already hummus in the fridge.
- Support the strikes.
- Consciously look around on public transport to see if anyone else needs your seat.
#NewYearPossibilites

- Get some support, be it one of my coaching courses, therapy, a dance class or a regular meet-up with a friend. Have your own back by finding a someone who will be on your side and talk back to you when you are going astray.
There are lots of links in my bio
#NewYearPossibilites

Ok, that should be enough to get your imagination simmering. New Year’s Resolutions do not have to be just cramming more things into an already packed life, in fact, that’s why
most of them fail.
#NewYearsResolutions
#NewYearPossibilites

If you’d like to read some other reasons why the New Year’s Resolutions fail and what you can do about it here heardinlondon.com/post/why-most-…
#NewYearsResolutions
#NewYearPossibilites

Obligation is a hell of a fire extinguisher to the grandest of plans. When you make your dreams playful, fun and centre your own wellbeing you have a lot more chance of staying motivated when the going gets tough.
#NewYearPossibilites #NewYearResolutions

Remember that, despite what the adverts are trying to tell you, you don’t need to change in order to be brilliant or loveable. We are the grown-ups now and we get to make up the rules. Make sure you keep reminding yourself to infuse your days with kindness.
#NewYearPossibilites

And if you have enjoyed this thread, please have a peek at the goals course we are beginning January 1st. It is all about centring joy and rest for 2023. It is pay what you can afford with bursary spaces available for folk that need them:
selfcareschool.co.uk/p/possibilities

It’s important to me that my courses are free for folk who need that option too. I don’t believe self-care should be reserved for people who can afford it. It’s an amazing group, there’s laughter, loads of realism, it’s quite sweary and fully rooted in creating rest & compassion.

I am determined to keep my work free for people who are not otherwise able to access things like coaching. If you’d like to support me I’m doing this, you can donate here:

gofundme.com/f/workshops-fo…

But mostly, I’d like to invite you to get curious about whether you want to reach the need of 2023 feeling the way you feel now? What could be possible if you had more time and space to get creative? What have you got to lose? Your exhaustion.
selfcareschool.co.uk/p/possibilities

/ And so, the longest Twitter thread I’ve written since my doorstep photography project in lockdown comes to an end. If you’ve found this useful, please pass it on to someone you think could use some extra support.
Wishing you a very happy new year.
#NewYearPossibilites

For folk that would like more of this, I offer a year long coaching package which works out to be one group call for less than a fiver a week, but the price is going up January 1st. If you’d like to commit to gentleness for 2023 sign up here before Sunday selfcareschool.co.uk/p/all-access-p…