New Year, New Intentions

By Katelyn Mase

As we welcome in the new year, there is, for many of us, a unique sense of readiness for change.

Colloquially referred to as New Year’s resolutions, we view the start of a new year as a time to shed old habits, welcome new, “healthier” choices, or even change something dramatically about ourselves.

Making healthy, positive changes seems like a no-brainer, and, yet, the rhetoric around the futility of New Year’s Resolutions abounds – societally, we have found ourselves at a point where we joke about and almost expect “failure” of our resolutions.

Perhaps, it is time to shift our thinking about the opportunities the transformative nature of the new year presents.

Think for a moment about a resolution you would like to make. 

Is your resolution overly or unrealistically specific? Read 50 books, go to the gym everyday, quit social media, travel through Europe?

What if part of what makes sticking to a resolution so difficult is the narrow definition of success?

With the seemingly continuous shrinking of the attention span in the age of the ✨ metaverse ✨ and a narrow definition of success that almost insists on delayed gratification tolerance, we are set up for failure before the new year even begins.

So, what can you do?

Try expanding your definition of success by setting New Year’s Intentions instead!

In contrast to resolutions which usually emphasize drastic change, often in an unrealistic, shame-filled way, intentions are an extension of the values we hope to embody. When the focus shifts to our values, the definition of success expands dramatically. Suddenly, we have limitless options for what success looks like available to us!

To set New Year’s intentions, look to the root of your old resolutions.

Does that sound tricky or vague? Let’s look at an example:

If your resolution was something akin to read 50 books, go to the gym everyday, quit social media, or travel through Europe, perhaps being more mindful with your time, technology use, or money is an appropriate intention.

Alternatively, maybe trying to focus on what makes you feel good this year feels more aligned to you.

We could generate many alternatives to these intentions, but whatever you decide to call it, suddenly these separate resolutions morph into a single, expansive definition of success 🤩

When you ask yourself “What would make me feel good today?” or “How can I be intentional with my time right now?”, there can consistently be an answer that feels accessible to you at that moment, opening the door for little wins every day.

So, I encourage you to try setting New Year’s intentions instead of resolutions this year and see the positive shifts that may result!

Post Internship Reflections

By Ava Chiovatero

(Quick editor’s note from Colleen: I had the opportunity to work closely with and manage Ava this summer, and it was truly such a gift. She is a wonderful human, and she is going to make an incredible therapist in the future. The sharing of this blog post is a little late, and the content is still valuable regardless!)

Hey all! Ava here.

As the summer comes to a close I have been reflecting on my truly incredible and impactful experience interning at The Gaia Center. I wanted to share some of my biggest takeaways from this experience with you all. This is by no means an all-inclusive list of the things I have learned–that list would be too long! I learned as much about work-life as a whole as I did specific education-related things; this may serve as a potential reflection for your own life and relationship to your work, or it can simply be insight into what I have gotten from my experience working here.

1. Importance of healthy boundaries

Through working at The Gaia Center, I witnessed firsthand the importance of establishing healthy boundaries that make you comfortable and allow your needs to be met. This may look like taking a mental health day, prioritizing rest when accessible, silencing your email after a certain time–whatever it may be for you. For me, I have seen the power that setting boundaries has in my ability to show up more present and engaged, resulting in having more satisfying and impactful experiences in the workplace.

2. Work should be enjoyable and fun

The Gaia Center served as such a warm environment for me to feel comfortable and excited to come to work each day, making my experience a positive one. Fun was introduced wherever possible and it truly made an impact on how I showed up and experienced this internship.

I want to acknowledge the privilege that this entails; not everyone is able to access a fun work environment or preferred jobs. In such a case, I invite you to ask yourself if there is anywhere that ease or fun can be introduced into your workplace to make it more enjoyable. Perhaps that looks like talking to other staff members or bringing a fun lunch for break–even the small things may open the door to more fulfilling experiences.

3. Support system = key

The power that support and holding space has on employees is profound and allows work to be more than a job. The Gaia Center staff valued collaboration, sharing feelings, and listening to each other, all of which made me feel valued and appreciated.

4. Education related things/books/takeaways

Last but certainly not least, I learned an incredible amount of education-related things–from how insurance works to medical complications of eating disorders to examples of somatic exercises; I truly learned so much. This internship allowed me to explore a wide-range of topics that solidified my interest in this field and my desire to be a therapist–a very exciting personal reassurance to say the least:)

As my internship wraps up, I would be lying in saying I knew what was next, AND I am a big believer in leaning into the unknown and seeing what shows up. I have found that the unknown opens up the possibility for, you guessed it, possibility! along with choice, freedom, excitement. As one door closes, another one opens, and I am ready to see what that door may be. Cheers to leaning in!

5 of Our Go-To Tools for Anxiety-Surfing

by Valerie Martin

For all of us, anxiety is a part of life. For some of us, anxiety is a WAY of life... and I've got news for you, babe: if that's you, this doesn't have to be your "normal."

I want to share with you five of my go-to strategies for "anxiety-surfing"— notice I'm not saying "anxiety management" or "anxiety control"... because I've learned that trying to manage and control anxiety is a bit like trying to force your way out of a Chinese finger trap (remember those?). You might resonate with some but not all of these, which is totally fine— and our awesome Gaia Center team has lots more tricks up our sleeves for anxiety that we’ll share in future blog posts, newsletters, and on our Instagram.

ONE

Alternate Nostril Breathing // Originally from the yogic tradition (known as nadi shodhana pranayama), this breath practice is incredibly effective— AND the extra cool thing is that it can be modified slightly to have a different effect, depending on whether you need to balance, energize, or chill TF out. Until I get around to recording my own tutorial, I'll share this one from the wonderful Adriene Mishler! 

TWO

Tapping // AKA Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT, tapping is designed to work with the subtle body's meridians (also what acupuncture does) to clear energetic blockages that are causing physical and/or emotional pain. Does it sound woo woo? Absolutely. Does it work? Find out for yourself— for me and the clients I've shared it with, definitely. I love The Tapping Solution app (just ignore the weight loss section, #dietculture) and there are TONS of videos on Youtube that walk you through EFT for any challenge under the sun. Nine tapping points seem a bit too complicated for you? Learn "Faster EFT" by watching the last 90 seconds of this video with Melissa Tiers.

THREE

Leaves on a Stream // When you're having the racing-thoughts kind of anxiety, it can be really helpful to use a visualization trick like Leaves on a Stream to "unhook" from those thoughts. This is different from trying to force or WILL the thoughts away; rather, it's a practice of activating the observing mind, so it becomes clear that YOU are NOT the thinking mind. Here's a helpful tutorial! 

FOUR

Legs Up the Wall // I half-jokingly call this pose (known in Sanskrit as viparita karani) "Yoga Xanax," because it's an excellent way of activating the parasympathetic nervous system, AKA the "brake pedal" of your nervous system (and way more friendly to your nervous system than actual Xanax). And it's great because when you do this pose, you're doing something for yourself without actually DOING much of anything. You're laying up against a wall and swinging your legs up— and that's it. So when using some kind of more sophisticated skill seems a bit overwhelming, this one is very accessible... and you can modify it by swinging your lower legs up onto a couch or chair if you don't have any free wall space. Here's a visual!

FIVE

Naming the Story // A lot of times, the kinds of things we "spin out" about are based in catastrophic thinking, mind-reading, or other thought distortions that have us jumping to conclusions that are A) likely untrue, and B) certainly not helpful. Even just naming to ourselves (and sometimes someone else, too) the story we are telling ourselves can be incredibly helpful. Example: If you notice you're feeling defensive about something your partner just said, you could name out loud, "I'm telling myself the story right now that you think my idea was stupid." This is WAY more approachable than an accusatory snap like "fine, if you think my idea is so stupid, you decide!"— and it gives the other person an opportunity to "reality-check" your assumption.

We’d love to hear if any of these strategies are also go-to's for you, if you have questions, or want to share any suggestions about what works for you. Leave a comment below!

DISCLAIMER: All content shared on our website and social media is intended for educational purposes and is not considered therapy or a substitute for therapy or medical treatment.