How to Create New Emotional & Spiritual Energy for 2023

The beginning of a new year can start a new chapter in our lives

Why is it so difficult to follow through with our New Year’s resolutions despite our best intentions?

From a therapeutic perspective, for a resolution to work, it is crucial to bring self-awareness and honest self-reflection into the process.

We can design real and permanent change if we take some time to look back, assess and reflect on what worked and what did not work in our lives.

And it is only from a place of self-awareness and clarity that true transformation can happen.

Here I am sharing with you some guidelines that I have adapted from the psychotherapist and author Terri Cole to help you unpack 2022, to honor your experiences and understand your own growth so you can clear the way for the changes you want to make! Take it as a ritual. It is the best way to start the year feeling energized, clear, and ready for transformation.

Journaling in a cozy blanket with a cup of coffee and soothing music

Set aside some time and space to work through the journaling exercises below. Make a date with yourself and put it on the calendar!

Part of keeping this sacred is making time to honor your feelings and experiences of the past year. Set the scene for your ritual.

My Peak Experiences from 2022

Identify Peak experiences from 2022 – positive or negative.

• What experiences in 2022 really stayed with you and why?
• What was the hardest thing?
• What was the most revealing experience?
• What was the most joyful?
• Is there anything you would have done differently? What? Why?

In this process, always remember to be kind to yourself. You did the best you could considering your own level of consciousness at the time. Self compassion will always support you when you meet challenges in your path.

My Accomplishment List

Acknowledging and celebrating your strengths and accomplishments – big and small –  is healthy and uplifting that’s why it should be included as well. Even if it was observing yourself when you were triggered instead of reacting automatically. It’s time to give yourself some credit for making it through 2022!

Allowing yourself to be proud of what you did is an act of self-love and helps us see how we are evolving.

Remember to be kind to yourself, because it can be so tempting to focus on what didn’t go right.

• What was your biggest accomplishment in 2022?
• What are your greatest strengths? How did these play out in 2022?
• What are you the proudest of when you look back on this year?

Keep your accomplishments and your gems of wisdom lists someplace that is easy to access and read them when you need a reminder of how capable and amazing you are.

The Stuff I’m Leaving Behind in 2022

This is the time to get honest and discerning about the experiences, people, feelings, circumstances, and situations you want to release. Identify what you are ready to let go of.

Think through all the different areas in your life that were stressful or painful in 2022 and write them down.

List all the people, places, things, experiences, feelings, circumstances, and situations – anything you don’t want to carry with you into 2023. Make a list about the things related to the following that you would like to let go of:

• Your relationship with yourself
• Your health
• Your family
• Your friendships
• Your job
• Your finances
• Your romantic relationship
• Mental wellness

 The Wisdom I Learned in 2022

Look for the wisdom you have learned through 2022. This isn’t about spiritually or emotionally bypassing the stuff that was tough last year. This is about cultivating your ability to look at every situation in your life and discovering what you learned about yourself.

Whether it was a break-up or a health crisis, it’s reflecting on the hard times, processing what happened and what value we can take from the experience that makes all the difference to successfully making changes in our lives.

List everything important you learned from 2022. These are the gems of self-knowledge that you WILL take with you into next year so that you won’t have to keep repeating bad experiences or situations! Look back through your peak experiences, your accomplishments, and the stuff you’re leaving behind and ask yourself:

• What did I learn from this?
• How will it influence what I do going forward?
• How did it impact my self-identity?
• Be specific! This can cover all areas of your life – home, relationships, work, finances, friendships & health. 

  What I’m Creating in 2023

Now that you have processed the good, the bad, the ugly, the wisdom and the lessons, it’s time to think about how you WANT to feel, and what positive changes you want in all areas of your life in 2023.

What would thrill you? How can you take impeccable care of yourself, body, mind, and spirit? It’s time to consciously create your vision for 2023! This is your space to create what you will do with your one, beautiful, miraculous Life. Really open up, tune in to your desires and be as specific as possible!

These are some categories and some feeling states for you to think through to get you started. To get what you want, remember that you need to give them to others first.

• How do I want to feel about myself? Centered, aware, that I am good enough
• In my relationships? Cherished, loved, adored…
• In my body? Beautiful, vibrant, energized…
• In my home? Peaceful, relaxed, nurtured, organized…..
• In my family? Calm, respected, comfortable, heard…
• In my friendships? Supported, connected, understood…
• In my current job? Inspired, creative, valued…
• In my career? Abundant, creative, lit-up, inflow….

It is human nature to have a tendency to repeat painful experiences– especially if we don’t process them in a healthy way. We repeat what we do not repair. Freud called it repetition compulsion. Without therapeutic intervention, it’s almost like we repeat similar painful experiences because we are seeking a different outcome. And of course, we do not want to do that, right?

 I Reflect & Visualize

Every time you read your 2023 creation list, FEEL the emotions of having what you want, and actively visualize yourself inside of those experiences.

It’s not enough to just see the list – take the time to really imagine the good feelings of having each item on your list AND you must also take steps daily to make that list your real life. You can also make a vision board with words and images that resonate with your desires to keep your vision front and center.

Taking positive action AND consciously conjuring the feeling of already having it is a powerful way to stay on track to create your heart’s desire for 2023.

The Ritual

You can do this alone or have a shared ritual New Year’s celebration with loved ones and friends.

Take the list of things you want to let go of and burn it – Do it somewhere safe and legal. You are ritualistically burning away the negative energy. As your list of bad stuff is burning, visualize that it’s being released back into the universal energy, and metabolized. When it’s done, say this affirmation:

“I am freeing myself from this stuck energy, and I am grateful right now. I am free.”

Burning is a very powerful way of re-affirming to the universe that you are done with the unsatisfying or painful experience/emotion/circumstance, and freeing yourself of it.

Celebrate feeling liberated and lighter!
And 2023 here we come!!!

I invite you to trade in your New Year’s resolutions for something that will not only open your mind and heart but will also powerfully clear the way for what you actually want to create in the next 12 months.

My hope is this practice will help you process those experiences, raise your awareness of the lessons learned, and release what’s no longer serving you.

I am so excited for you to give yourself the gift of going through this therapeutic process and creating your reality for this new year.

I can’t wait to see what you create in 2023, so please, if you do this ritual, let me know how it goes.

We survived the enormous challenges of 2022!

Let’s bring our best energy into 2023.

Let’s give ourselves a chance to keep evolving through the inevitable ups and downs of our experiences, always remembering that Life is a gift.

Let’s be grateful and make the best of it.