January has a funny reputation. We’re expected to emerge from Christmas glowing with discipline, armed with grand resolutions and an entirely new personality by the second week of the year. Gym adverts shout. Social feeds scream productivity. And yet, most of us are simply tired.
This year, I’m choosing a quieter approach.
As the late Rob Reiner once said, “Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. If you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect.” That idea has stayed with me. So instead of fixing everything, my New Year’s resolution is simple: focus on my mind and my body, consistently and kindly.
To support that, I’ve gifted myself two things:
a BBC Maestro membership to nourish my mind, and fitness classes to keep my body moving. Not extremes. Not punishment. Just commitment.
A January That Feels Like Winter – Not a Race
January is not the time for reinvention at full speed. It’s a time for slowing down, warming up, and paying attention. My January bucket list reflects that.
Some days that looks like a puzzle night with cosy jazz, candles lit, phone nowhere in sight. Other days it’s building a winter comfort movie list, the kind you return to when the outside world feels too loud. I’m also finally creating a vision board for 2026 – not a hustle fantasy, but a visual reminder of how I want life to feel.
I’m leaning into small rituals:
– a slow, candlelit weekday dinner
– a winter coffee date with myself
– browsing a bookshop with no intention to buy
– trying a new soup or chilli recipe
– ice skating just for the joy of wobbling
– capturing one photo a day, nothing curated, just real.
These aren’t productivity hacks. They’re anchors.
Health without the pressure
One thing January often gets wrong is health messaging. We’re told to overhaul everything at once – diet, body, habits, mindset – and somehow keep it all perfect. Real health doesn’t work like that.
This year, I’m focusing on basics: sleep, hydration, movement and nourishment. Not because it’s trendy, but because it works.
There’s a reason so many things that genuinely help us feel better are free:
- walking
- sunlight
- breathing deeply
- gratitude
- calling a friend
- time in nature
- a good night’s sleep
The most healing things in life often cost nothing. True recovery doesn’t come from luxury; it comes from simplicity and presence.
The 12-Month Reset (Without the Burnout)
Rather than doing everything at once, I’m experimenting with one focus per month. January is about decluttering – physical, digital and mental. Clearing space creates calm. February will gently shift towards health basics. Later in the year, I’ll look at finances, routines, mindset, relationships and gratitude.
Small focus. Real progress.
It’s inspired partly by Japanese principles like Kaizen (small improvements), Shinrin-yoku (time in nature), and Ikigai (living with purpose). Nothing dramatic. Just better, little by little.
Redefining “Normal” and Letting Go of Shame
January is also a good time to question what we think is “normal”. Normal can be:
- driving a reliable car, not a new one
- cooking dinner most nights
- rewearing clothes
- packing lunch
- using the library
- keeping your phone until it dies
- skipping salon blow-dries
- second-hand shopping
- simple skincare.
None of this is failure. It’s sustainability.
And there are things we can gently leave behind as we move forward: comparison, people-pleasing, unhealthy relationships, constant scrolling, negative self-talk and fear of the future. They add weight without giving anything back.
The Real Luxuries
As I step into this new year, I’m reminding myself what real luxury actually looks like:
- slow mornings
- home-cooked meals
- time with people I love
- long walks
- a good book
- sunsets
- rest
- freedom to choose.
Life is short. Chase dreams, yes – but also forgive quickly, laugh daily, love deeply and learn something new. There is no rule book. We are allowed to reinvent ourselves, gently and often.
January doesn’t need to be loud to be meaningful. Sometimes the bravest reset is simply choosing to care – for your body, your mind, and the life you’re already living.
And that feels like a very good place to start.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
