Resolutions Are Out. Regulation Is In.
New Year, New Nervous System
Every January, millions of people set resolutions. By February, most of us have naturally drifted away from them. But what if the problem isn’t willpower—it’s that we’re asking our nervous systems to do something they’re not ready for?
As the calendar turns, there’s often a quiet pull to begin again. Yet while the world urges productivity and reinvention, our bodies are still in winter—moving slower, conserving energy, almost entering their own kind of hibernation as they tend to what needs repair before growth.
The nervous system doesn’t know it’s a new year. It knows rhythm. It knows season. It knows safety.
And that means meaningful change can’t be forced. It has to be paced.
In Somatic Experiencing®, sustainable transformation begins with capacity—your internal resources and nervous system availability—not pressure. When a goal feels too big or too fast, the body often shifts into fight, flight, or freeze, not motivation. So if resolutions haven’t stuck in the past, it isn’t a flaw—it’s physiology.
This January, I’m inviting a different approach. Not New Year, New You, but New Year, Regulated You—intentions that come from listening inward rather than pushing forward.
When intentions arise from a regulated place, they tend to be more compassionate, more realistic, and more aligned with who we actually are.
What Feels Available?
You might gently reflect on:
What is my nervous system quietly asking for this year?
What feels like a 1% shift rather than a leap?
Where in my life do I crave more spaciousness or ease?
I once worked with a client whose only intention was to notice when he was holding his breath. That simple awareness became the doorway to deeper regulation and meaningful change.
If You’re Feeling…
Resistance: That’s information, not failure. Rest may be your intention.
Numb or disconnected: Begin with orienting—simply noticing what you can see, hear, or touch in your environment.
You don’t have to become someone new this January.
You don’t have to push, perfect, or perform.
Your nervous system already knows the way—one small, regulated step at a time.
That’s not settling.
That’s wisdom.
With Care,
Lillian
