It's ok to press pause

January 20th... already! We only have about a week and a half left to January, and somehow it doesn't feel like I am accomplishing as much as I would like to so far this year. In true Veronica fashion, I charged into the new year full speed ahead... and promptly burned myself out a mere week later. I have been moving slower since then (and accomplishing far less).

But I am trying to teach myself that this is ok! It is the dead of winter (in Canada, I might add... where it can be COLD!). This is the time to rest and bunker down with warming teas and hearty meals.... it is the season of warm blankets, hearty soup, and fireplace hot chocolate with your loved ones. Accomplishing less during this time of year is natural and actually healthy - many animals will slow down or hibernate altogether through the colder months. We could learn something from them about how to relax.

But for the eastern European in me, that is a terrible thing. We don't "relax well". We putter (a habit which drives my boyfriend CRAZY). We are always doing something. Most of us are actually quite bad at hibernating.

My man, however, it the opposite. I am pretty sure that he was a bear in a past life, and those hard-ingrained habits like hibernation, hunting and trapping are still very much there. But in winter, he would just hibernate if he could.

And I don't blame him! I am actually quite jealous of his ability to sleep away the chilly months. But one of my goals for the new year is to at least take it slower this time of the year. Maybe work on only a few goals instead of a pile of them. Maybe only lift 80% at the gym. Maybe rest more.

This is going to be an extremely uncomfortable and I think just weird-feeling couple of months for me as I try to implement this into my life... but we will see. I want to encourage you all to join me in easing into the new year at a speed that might not be full force, but is a much more comfortable and managable one.

It's ok to press pause and just relax every once in a while.