The Counterintuitive Benefit of Greeting Every Morning Like It’s January 1

On January 1st, we often have great expectations for ourselves. This is the year of career changes, of body goals, of relationship milestones, we resolve.

Here at Well+Good, we’ve been trying to move away from a mindset of unrealistic new year goal setting that often centers on expectations set by the diet industry. Instead, with our ReNew Year program, we’re focusing on self-care and ways that we can try nourish ourselves and feel our best inside and out.

Still, there is something special about the spark of motivation that blooms on January 1. Being proactive about the way we want our lives to look has the potential to help us find fulfillment and joy. Is there a way to bottle that will, without the pressure and shame that often follows?

Author, meditation teacher, and self-care expert Kimberly Snyder believes there is. She sees every morning as an opportunity for a new beginning, and practices rituals like meditating and connecting with her body by drinking a hot beverage to hone in on what she really wants out of the day—and all those days we live in a row…also known as a life.

There’s an unexpected benefit to treating every day like the fresh start it is. The new year only comes around, well, once a year. So it is a moment that can feel like the stakes are high and the pressure is intense. But if we bring that new year mindset to every morning, we see how much power we truly have to make our lives what we want them to be.

“It takes the pressure off,” Snyder says. “Like it’s New Year’s and we mess up, versus, hey, every day is a fresh start. And it’s these small steps that really add up in big, profound ways.”

From a grounding morning practice, to tuning in to the dietary and physical needs of our bodies, Snyder along with fitness coach Elisabeth Akinwale and registered dietitian Maya Feller talk about what it really means to “renew” on the latest episode of the Well+Good podcast. Tune in below to hear their full conversation and get tips about how to bring a sense of renewal to your life beyond January.