New Year Cleansing. Rituals to help you reflect on the past and welcome the future.
New Year’s is perhaps one of the most polarizing holidays on the calendar. The milestone tends to bring up some deep feelings and emotions for many of us - sometimes positive, sometimes negative. Maybe you embrace the excitement and celebrations of the season and look forward to a fresh start and a clean slate. Perhaps you feel the pressure of the ‘New Year, New Me’ frenzy and are filled with dread thinking about setting lofty goals for the next twelve months. Or, maybe you’re inspired by the chance to refocus, reset, and pursue your dreams. Whether you love it or hate it, the New Year is an opportunity to let go of the things that no longer serve you and embrace those that add value to your life. In a word, it’s an opportunity for cleansing. There is no shortage of beautiful rituals that can help you with this process. Let’s discover a few!
Spend some quiet time with yourself.
Sometimes a cleansing ritual doesn’t need to be all that complicated. Simply carving out some quiet time alone for self-reflection is a beautiful way to welcome a new chapter into your life. For many of us, sitting in stillness can be difficult. Your mind might race or wander off to thoughts of your never-ending to-do list. This is completely normal, and it is exactly why meditation apps exist. Platforms like Calm and Headspace can help guide you through meditation and self-reflection if it’s something you’re new to. It’s a great way to start your year off with calm energy, a clear mind, and strong intentions.
Find release with a burning ritual.
If you’re feeling like you need to let some things go (and, really, who doesn’t?) a burning ritual is a great way to find release from whatever is holding you back. To start, write down what you no longer want to hold on to. You can use as much or as little detail here as you feel is necessary.In some cases you might want to go into detail about a specific situation, in other instances, it may just be a word or recurring negative thought that you want to let go of. Whatever the case may be, get it out of your head onto a piece of paper. Safely light a fire in a pot, bowl, or fireplace and place the pieces of paper into the flames. Watch the flames and visualize your thoughts rising up from the paper, into the smoke and imagine that as the smoke wafts away so too do those thoughts, feelings, people, and things that were holding you back.
Organize your space.
The New Year is a great time to get organized. The cleaner your space - the clearer your mind. Think about all the time you spent this year rifling through closets and cabinets looking for that blue dress or those holiday decorations you stored somewhere. Think of what you could do with all that time next year if your space was so organized you knew exactly where to find everything you needed. Organizing your space also provides an opportunity to take inventory of what you own and helps you make more mindful choices about what you bring into your space and why. There are plenty of ways to supplement your wardrobe as needed without purchasing new items through clothing-sharing apps, like ReSuit.
What about those items that you don’t wear that often but can’t seem to part with perhaps because you do need them occasionally or maybe because they hold sentimental or monetary value? This is the beauty of clothing-sharing apps. Not only can you keep your closet focused and minimal but you have the opportunity to monetize those items you do keep and give others a chance to experience and enjoy them. We think they call that a win-win.
If the typical New Year’s traditions, like champagne and fireworks, don’t resonate with you, you’re certainly not alone. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find ways to embrace the New Year in your own way. These cleansing rituals offer up meaningful alternative celebrations to help you reflect on the past and welcome the future as the calendar year ends. Who knows? You might even find yourself looking forward to December 31st this year.