Your Body Knows It's Not Spring Yet: A January 4th Reality Check

It's January 4th and I already want to start over. A do-over on my new year's intentions. Already.

As a bodywork practitioner, I see this pattern every January. Clients arrive with shoulders up by their ears, jaw clenched, breathing shallow - their bodies telling the story of forced transformation. They're pushing for spring blooms while nature is still deep in winter.

I've been working behind the scenes for months on something new (spoiler: it's my coaching practice). I had hoped to launch by now, but it's not finished. The disappointment sits heavy in my chest. But maybe what I'm really feeling is fear. Fear of failure before I've even begun.

Your body knows things your mind hasn't accepted yet. It knows January 1st is just another day. It knows we're still in deep winter here in Charlotte - the coldest days haven't even arrived yet. Your nervous system isn't designed to force growth in dormant season.

When Perfect Becomes the Enemy of Healing

Life isn't perfect, but social media and magazines tell a different tale. Remember Martha Stewart magazine? Reality check - she had an entire staff behind that perfection. Meanwhile, we're comparing our messy, beautiful, struggling reality to everyone else's curated highlights.

Do I bemoan all the fixes I need for my new website? Yes. Do I sometimes eat Christmas cookies and binge watch TV instead? Maybe for a little bit. Then I dust the crumbs off and try again, holding myself with grace for being human with feelings.

Your body doesn't need more criticism. It needs compassion and understanding. When you miss a day of your new routine, when you lay on the couch because you just can't right now - that's not failure. That's wisdom.

The Secret Winter Work

Even in winter, gardeners are working. They're not planting yet - they're dreaming, planning, preparing the soil. Your body understands this rhythm even when your mind fights it.

To become someone who tends their wellbeing: First, dream about how you want to feel. Then take one small action - book that massage you've been postponing, take three deep breaths, stretch for two minutes. Each action reinforces your belief that you deserve care.

Action over perfection. Always.

Start tomorrow. Start again next week. Keep going. The only failure is giving up on yourself.

I believe in you. I believe in your body's wisdom. Trust what it's telling you.

P.S. I skipped writing to you last week but today I started again. One more action that reinforces the truth: healing isn't linear, and neither is growth.