“A Happy New Year!
Grant that I may bring no tear to any eye.
When this new year in time shall end,
let it be said I’ve played the friend,
have lived and loved and laboured here,
and made of it a happy year.”
~ Edgar Guest

Well this is it... New Year's Eve!

If my facebook and Insty feeds are anything to go by, 2016 has been a rollercosater of a year for pretty much everyone I've ever met!

I've seen a lot of darkly hilarious memes floating around reflecting this, and for the first time I'm seeing more posts expressing relief for a year to be over than posts axpressing hope and anticipation for the forthcoming year. Things like this...

In a year that seems to have held so many challenges for so many of us, let's make a conscious decision to draw a line under 2016 and give ourselves a divinely clean slate!

So as we say goodbye to 2016, let's reflect...

First, ask yourself: What am I ready to leave behind?

Write down your challenges, failures, frustrations and disappointments.
Get it ALL out. 
It's time to let it go......
Throw your list of 2016's disappointments in the bin dahlink! That's yesterday's news!

And I want you to remember that adversity isn't all bad. In fact, there is an entire field of scientific inquire into post-traumatic growth (but that is for another post!)

For now, I want you to realise that the tough times bring valuable lessons with them....

So ask yourself: what did the challenges you faced in 2016 teach you?
What would you do differently?

Next, and most importantly, as 2016 draws to a close, let's block out as much time as we can to reflect on the good stuff! 

Have you ever noticed that even in the worst of times there is still so much wonderful stuff going on?

So ask yourself: What are your happy memories from 2016?
What did you achieve? What made you smile? 

It's time to savour the sweet memories, celebrate your achievements and victories (big and small), and give yourself an ebullient high five for all the things you did well this year; all the times you made your health a priority, showed your loved ones you care, made choices in line with your values, got enough sleep, flossed, took a breath instead of snapping.

Celebrate all the awesome things you did this year!!!

You really are pretty fabulous, aren't you?!?!

Feeling grateful now?

Good! Scientific studies show that a daily gratitude practice can improve immune function, heart health, quality of sleep, elevate your mood and improve your relationships!

All you need to do is to make time to savour the sweet moments!

And regardless of the challenges 2016 held, I hope this is the note you finish the year on!

Happy New Year! May 2017 be a great one for you!!!

“No one can go back, but everyone can go forward.
And tomorrow, when the sun rises, all you have to say to yourself is:
I am going to think of this day as the first day of my life.”
~ Paulo Coelho