The same thing happens in my social media every year around this time: we have about two days of downtime after the craziness of the holidays, and then the internet lights up with people talking about starting the new year off right with bright and shiny intentions, new workout plans, 90 day business goals and 7 day juice cleanses.

All of it boils down to more.

More on your plate. More to do and be. More, at a time when what we really need is less.

Because look around: it’s January. Everything’s still dark. The natural world has a hush over it. This is the time to be quiet, to rest and reflect.

Consider this your permission slip to be quiet, chill, and downshift.

If you’re already raring to go with the #NewYearNewYou more power to you. But we just had a month that tends to be pretty overwhelming for most people. The holidays are a big deal in one way or another, either because they’re super great and you’re really busy. Or they’re kind of sucky or melancholy, or they remind you of things, or bring up grief.

So why would we go heaping a bunch of rah rah rah on January?

We’ve just come off the shortest day of the year, and we’re in the coldest and darkest month of the year.

The light’s coming back, but it won’t be until next month.

Try this:

Create (or deepen your relationship with) a resourcing item.

If you’ve ever been on a video call you might notice me looking out the window. That’s because there are oak trees out there, and ever since I’ve moved here, they’ve been a centering resource for me. I look at them and I’m reminded of what it feels like to be grounded with deep roots.

For you it might be something else –– an ornament that you’ve put up in your room, a picture of your grandmother, perhaps the texture of your favorite blanket or the warmth of a cup of tea. Really anything that fills your senses and makes you go, “Oh! I do remember how calm feels.”

It can even be something you see outside, like me with the oak trees, or noticing the sunlight. Or maybe you have a remembered or imagined something that brings a sense of “ahhhh” or a lift to the corner of your eyes or mouth. (In fact, this is part of the reason I do the monthly meditations, to help you have a felt sense of resourcing and soothing via imaginal play, and to remind you that this is always available to you.)

It’s anything that gets in and gives you that sense of a sigh of relief, even if you don’t actually sigh out loud. Want some safety-medicine bonus points? Make a sigh with sound, even if it doesn’t happen spontaneously.

It might feel small, but it’s a powerful way of putting yourself back into place, no matter what’s going on around you. And don’t we all need that from time to time?

So tell me ... what’s your resourcing item? New to this concept? The New Moon is a great time to put a little something in place and play with it over the next month.