Growing up, I frequently heard my mother and grandmother say, “I need some R&R!!” As an adult, I now know that could have meant an alcoholic beverage, but as a kid, I believed it meant “Rest and Relaxation.”

With the year of 2020 being very different from what any of us anticipated, many of us are feeling a little more tired, a bit more exhausted, burned out and fatigued as the year comes to an end.

We could attribute this to a number of things…

More screen time as work, events, social gatherings, trainings, conferences, workouts, church, our whole lives became fully virtual…

“Attending” more events because when they switched to virtual the need for travel was eliminated so you could be celebrating with someone across the world from your own home…

Increasing efforts to socially connect with others while being physically distant meant more phone calls, Facetimes, group texts, and engagement…

Switching to remote working, for many meant feeling pressured to work longer hours to prove productivity while working from home, not to mention navigating online learning for kids, daycare, and animals.

A collective fatigue of being in a pandemic, economic crisis, social unrest, and political shenanigans…

I could go on and on with the reasons for the exhaustion, but let’s just sum it up to say “We’s tied!”

So what do we do at the end of this year when we’re tired?

We MAKE the time to engage in some R&R.

We Reflect on and Release 2020. We Reset for 2021 and Receive what is in store for us.

REFLECT. Make time to be quiet, to be still, and write down what happened in your life this year. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, our self-reflection often goes out the window. When we really sit and turn inward, we can take a moment to gain insight into how we are really doing. It helps us increase awareness of the things we need to hold on to and the things we need to let go of.

RELEASE. Once you’ve taken the time to reflect on your year, or your life, it is time to release the things that no longer serve you. How long have you held on to people, things, beliefs, ideas that are no longer helpful, healthy, or deserving of your time? It is time for you to let that go. Give yourself permission to release yourself from the weight of it. Whether that is the grief of this year or a long-expired relationship, you can let it go. Inhale: Let. Exhale: It Go.

RESET. Since we don’t have a manual reset button, we have to be intentional about setting the time for a reset. To start over, to start fresh. Of course, unlike our cell phones, our resets won’t allow us to completely wipe away everything (even though some people would really appreciate that), we can make a new beginning. Every day, every week, every year, we have an opportunity to do something new. Choose the new that you want to do!

RECEIVE. This is the part that makes the hard work worth it. Open yourself up to receive. Once you’ve cleared out the old stuff and made room for the new, you create space for you to receive whatever is in store for you. Once you’ve done the work of clearing, you can open your arms, your heart, and your mind to receive.

REFLECT. RELEASE. RESET. RECEIVE. REPEAT.

If you need some guidance on how to engage in these practices, sign up for the Release and Receive Yoga Series. It’s a great place to start!

If you are located in the state of Georgia* and interested in starting your healing journey, you can follow any of the steps below.

1. Contact us to schedule your first appointment and learn more about our services.

2. Review our Meet Us pages to learn more about our trauma trained providers.

3. Review our FAQs page to learn more about therapy at our center.

We look forward to being a part of your healing journey.

*Dr. Marcuetta Sims also sees clients in other states. Check her bio to learn more.