Hey there, welcome back. This is episode three, your guide to surviving capitalism in 2023, where we'll be focusing on input rather than output. And in case you missed last week's episode, we talked about reflecting on 2022 with admiration because fuck judgment. The second thing we focused on was why resolutions are setting us up for failure and heartache. And we also discussed all of this to help us navigate the last week of December The Twilight Zone sloth mode a little easier, and why I'm bringing this up to keep some of this energy with us as we begin 2023. So if you missed that episode, please be sure to check it out at some point, because I'm really excited about the information that I shared, how it can continue to support you, even though we're in the new year now, and the ways that it's informing today's conversation. So this shit we need to talk about today in episode three, is lowering the volume of the noise in your mind and in the media, with pressure to start the new year in a certain way, or the quote unquote, perfect way. The second is creating space to hear from yourself, listen to yourself and tend to yourself. The third is centering your winter mental health. So you can get clear on why you experience winter the way you do, and create a more easeful way forward with self care practices that are truly aligned to your specific needs, desires and the energy of the season. And we're going to begin a conversation around exploring releasing tension relaxing, resting and rejuvenating practices. Like it's your job. That will continue if I'm being honest through the month of January and probably throughout the entire year. So let's jump in. Here we are in the first few days of the new year. And I'm hearing from so many people that they're feeling pressured to kick off 2023 a certain way, the perfect way. Let's be honest, and it's totally goal and output focused. It's no wonder that this is happening. And there's no shame in it. Why? Because society's messaging is everywhere, especially from gyms and food companies. You know what the messaging is, it's all about what we're going to do to better ourselves to finally do the right thing or the things or any of the things we said we are going to do but haven't plus all the things we're not going to do because they don't support us in the new or better version of ourselves that we are conditioned to be hell bent on improving ourselves to be so my friend, if you are realizing you've subscribed to this, and maybe you didn't even realize that maybe there was something inherently wrong with this. Don't worry, it's not your fault. And I want to be very clear, I don't think there's anything wrong with having goals, or wanting to change things about ourselves, check out last week's episode around my belief system around resolutions for sure. I stand though, in my belief that we've got to be clear on what's motivating the goals and change that are happening in the new year or any time of the year. And understand the why behind it all. Because if the goal or change is coming from a need to be better, more or less of something, or from a need to fill a hole or void, or to prove something to someone or even to yourself, friend, we will flounder or be completely unfulfilled when we achieve whatever we believe success to be in that area. If the steps we take don't account for our current capacity, or available resources, we will not make it to the finish line. If we are not bought in on our self worth and connected to how we truly want to feel and experience life, we are setting ourselves up to miss the mark altogether. And most importantly, if we are not accounting for our mental and emotional needs day in and day out, and from season to season, beyond our appointments with our therapist, please make sure you're seeing that person. Or if we're bypassing our needs all together, we will not be well resourced for the journey. And when it comes to this time of year, the new year. It is especially important if you struggle through the winter. So my friend I've got a really important and probably weird question to kick us off with what if instead of focusing on our output, we focused on our input. What if we focused on what we put into our selves what we actively take in? And I'm not really talking about food? What if we focused on supporting our internal processing system, which is our mental and emotional health? What if we met ourselves with the care our winter mental and emotional health need? If we build up our energy stores and vitality, and allow all of that to support and inform our output, which are our actions, what would be different? What would be better? What would be more, what would be less? It's okay, if you need to pause right now to consider or to jot down anything that's coming up. My friend, it is time to lower the volume on all the noise in your mind, because let's be honest, our mind is always talking and chattering right. And also the noise in the media, you do not have to start the new year with a bang. And I think I've said that, in each of these first episodes, you do not have to create a new year this year, you do not have to subscribe to all the diet and fitness culture messaging that's bombarding the airwaves, you do not have to starve yourself or punish yourself at the gym to burn up extra calories from indulging quote unquote, during the holidays, or make up for all the workouts you didn't do in December, you do not have to do more, you do not have to be different or less of something. And you do not have to create change that does not feel aligned. And my friend, I'm here with you, because after years of personally subscribing to and professionally pushing these messages, I'm done with it. I'm unsubscribing from all correspondence about this, because it's bullshit and it's harmful. I said it. So my friend, if you struggle in the winter, with feeling really dark, dull, or even unsettled, or if you're feeling uneasy with the start of the new year, please no, there is nothing wrong with you. Your feelings are a sign that you're in tune with nature's call to slow down. And that society's expectations are overriding your needs. It may feel really hard to meet yourself there because society's pace doesn't let us and you may not know how to answer the call on a consistent basis. This is something we talked all about in episode one. So be sure to head back there if you need some sort, some support with that. But remember, my friend, everyone has a natural energy state that has its specific needs to maintain harmony, mentally, emotionally, physically and energetically. This natural energy can be soothed by or aggravated by the energy of the season. And when life is happening, and we're not living in tune with our natural needs, are actively tending to ourselves, because society's pace and expectations don't allow us to imbalance happens over and over and over again. So it's time to create space to hear from yourself. So you can begin to listen to and 10 to yourself, if you're struggling these days, because that's what happens to every year this time. Like clockwork, if you're experiencing something new that you can't quite figure out how to navigate, you need to first get clear on why this is happening. And in order to do this, that sloth mode vibe you activated last week or maybe tried to or explored thinking about it needs to remain on so that's last week that Twilight Zone vibe that was going on that last week of December, my friends, we need to continue it here. And I know that sounds exactly the opposite to the messaging we're receiving from the media. But my friend, it is the way and I don't often say all that blanket statements. But this one is true and definitely overarching for everyone. Because remember, in the world, you're doing the hard work of showing up for equity, right? You're disrupting systems of oppression, aren't you? You're working and caring for our friends for loved ones for animals, plants and the earth you're going you're doing and that requires so much nourishment, and nurturing yourself from a variety of sources that it doesn't have to be complicated to be potent.