Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2024 i Psychologies

The turn of the new year is usually the time we think about a fresh start and stride ahead with aplomb, but it doesn’t have to mean rushing to make resolutions. It can also be the perfect time of year to look inward, move slowly, and nourish your body and mind. And that’s exactly what we’ve dedicated this month’s dossier to – easing into the new year gently. On page 42, we’re asking ‘do you really h need a new you?’ – or can this year be the one we buck the trend for betterment and focus on fulfilment, instead? Just as writer Yasmina Floyer discovers on page 22, I’ve also found that a single, guiding word can be much more powerful than ambitious goals for the coming months. It’s…

● Where were you this time last year? The key to mining this prompt is to get specific with your reflections. Ask yourself what happened this time last year that was wonderful and meaningful. What was unexpected, harmful, or worse? When were you at your best, and what were you doing then? When were you at your worst, and what were you doing then? Highlight the key moments in your year that respond to this collection of prompts. The elixir in mining these end-of-year questions lies in tracking the details, the patterns, the seasonal changes and triggers. As you work through them, note how you are feeling, and what you are noticing and discovering about yourself. ● Why are you doing what you are doing? What’s your purpose? These questions…

Mindful routine Struggling to fit meditation into your day? Set up your new year meditation goals with these tips from personal growth expert Vishen Lakhiani, who shares six steps to incorporate meditation into your daily routine. Based on his own practice, The 6 Phase Meditation, he says: ‘Meditation is simpler than many believe – all you need is yourself, somewhere comfortable to sit, and 20 minutes.’ Ready? Let’s start at the beginning... ● Approach with fresh eyes Throw away what you thought you knew about meditation. Dive in as if it’s your first time. ● Choose the ideal time Timing isn’t just a detail; it’s a fundamental part of your meditation practice. ‘I like mornings,’ says Lakhiani, ‘as it sets a tone of calm and intention, not just for yourself,…

Anxiety is different things to different people, but many of us will have experienced some version of it. Anxiety – and its friends worry and fear – are common emotions that vary in intensity, frequency, and duration. We may think anxiety gets in the way of life, but it is designed to be helpful – to spot a threat and prepare you for action; to drive you towards or away from things that arise along your rollercoaster route. Anxiety can help highlight when things are going wrong. Anxiety is associated with the flight-fight-freeze response: our body getting us ready for action based on our brain’s predictions, so it can deliver the correct energy and bodily resources. Your brain triggers signals that release the hormones cortisol and adrenaline, engaging your sympathetic…

DR SULA WINDGASSEN ‘Condensing resolutions into a single word gives us a clarity that multiple different resolutions don’t,’ says psychologist and psychotherapist Dr Sula Windgassen. ‘We can build the mental habit of checking in with this word in our decision making, which brings us closer to our values.’ Find out more on page 22. DEBORAH BROWN ‘Don’t go all guns blazing into January with an intense diet or fitness regime,’ says Trauma Release Exercise trainer Deborah Brown. ‘Instead, orient to what makes you feel happy.’ Joy is the way we get our bodies back into true balance – so that we look and feel good. Discover more on page 74. RICHARD HAMMOND ‘With things such as taking the train, eco-travel is much more enjoyable – you feel like you’re already…

Most people would shudder at the thought of a 24-hour flight. But not Vogue Williams. ‘It kind of freaks me out, but I’m also really excited about it, because I’ve been very busy, and I can’t wait to just sit and read, watch mindless TV, and eat for hours on end. ‘I honestly don’t remember the last time that I did that,’ says the Irish model-turned-media personality, podcast host, and influencer, who is also mum to three young children. Along with her husband – the former reality TV star and now-entrepreneur Spencer Matthews – Williams is a parent to Theodore, five, Gigi, three, and one-year-old Otto. The couple met in 2017 when they both signed up as contestants on Channel 4’s winter sports show, The Jump. ‘I used to when…

Session one... Marsha had been a delegate on a group coaching course I had run about making the most of retirement. At that time, Marsha had just retired from a long career as an HR professional. She was a vivacious and adventurous woman who wanted the next years of her life to be her ‘golden years’. By the end of the course, she had made many exciting plans for her future, including travel, study, painting, writing, wild-water swimming and charity work. Some months later, I received an email from her, asking if she could have some one-to-one coaching with me. She was conflicted about something, and needed a sounding board. We met for our first coaching session the following week. ‘I need some help with a decision,’ she said. ‘I…

One January, a decade ago now, I kick-started the new year with a 21-day raw-food cleanse. I’d heard a wellness guru extol its many benefits: improved skin and digestion, sky-high energy levels, and weight loss. For three weeks, I lugged salad, green juice and dehydrated mushroom and almond burgers to work. Sometimes, between meetings, I ate lunch on a damp bench in the London drizzle, shivering. I’d watch people stream into warm cafés, and I’d fantasise about poached eggs on buttery toast and hot, sweet, milky tea. When it was over, I was grumpy and exhausted, my digestion sluggish. And, thanks to all the avocados, nuts and dates I’d consumed, I hadn’t lost a single pound. Not one. It was a good lesson in the value of turning inwards, and…

I have way more mental and physical energy to pursue my dreams when I’m grounded and well rested. When I’m exhausted and depleted, I stumble through my day, attending to only the bare essentials. ‘Taking care of your body and mind – by getting enough sleep, whole foods and movement – sets a foundation in place,’ says Dr Swart, ‘from which you have far greater capacity and energy to build your bigger dreams and projects.’ 1. REST Try Yoga Nidra, a guided supine meditation, also known as ‘yogic deep sleep’, which eases you into complete mental and physical relaxation. For me, just 20 minutes in the middle of my day is a gamechanger, especially if I haven’t had enough sleep. There are lots of free practices online. My favourite is…

How can I lighten the gift-buying load? Q Before we were married, I used to buy my own gifts and cards for my husband’s family, both at Christmas and on birthdays. Now, we get presents that are from both of us, but my husband doesn’t help me or get involved. The whole load of gifting for my husband’s family (and my own!) now lands on me. I’d like to share the responsibility in a way that feels more fair. What might that look like? How do other couples navigate present-buying? Gifting shows another person that you are thinking of them or want to celebrate them, and when there is good give and take, a thoughtful gift can be part of expressing appreciation for another person. Some sociologists have argued that…

I don’t know how 2023 was for you, but for me the word that would best sum it up would be ‘frustrating’. I’d spent the year before resting and restoring, after a stressful couple of years, so I’d bounced into 2023 looking for change and adventure. I got both of those. And I should have been more careful what I wished for. This year has contained floods, parasites and pestilence, and that’s just in my life, let alone the wider world. So I’m entering 2024 battered and feeling a bit helpless. I’m sorry, that isn’t the cheery New Year message you’re looking for, is it? But I also think it’s helpful to acknowledge this sometimes. To admit we don’t know where we’re going or what we’re trying to achieve; to…

There is one time of year, every year, guaranteed to find me with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. Not because of any great grief or disaster for the most part – but because it’s a moment where I inevitably find myself contemplating the course of my life, and most importantly, the people who are travelling along with me. When I hear those oh-so characteristic bongs from Big Ben each 31 December, as one year trips over into the next, I feel time slipping through my fingers in a way that is far more visceral and tangible than in the normal course of my life. I am reminded that my time here is limited; I am reminded of the importance, however clichéd, of making the most…

I slightly raise my eyebrows at New Year’s resolutions, however – I believe that goal-setting should be tangible, realistic, and approached with the long game in mind (typically, nearly 50 per cent of people quit their resolutions by the end of January!). But, that said, this early part of the year is a key time to commit to working on yourself and on your relationship – if you’re in one. In recent years, January has been given the rather sombre title of ‘unofficial break-up month’, with 11 December also cited as a key date for couples to part ways. The aftermath here often plays out over the following weeks, becoming a defining factor of New Year. There are no definitive reasons behind this, but it is largely assumed that leaving…

Sesame, ginger and mint noodle salad ‘This dressing is so moreish that I love to pour it over many different dishes. You can even substitute the tahini for peanut butter for a satay flavour, or leave it out entirely (along with the water) if you aren’t keen.’ SERVES 2–3Ready in 20 mins ● 150–200g soba or udon noodles● ¼ red cabbage● 1 carrot● 1 cucumber● 2 spring onions, sliced● Sprig of mint, chopped● Handful of coriander, chopped● 2 tbsp sesame seeds For the dressing: ● 3 tbsp hulled tahini● 2 tbsp water● 1 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free option)● 1 tsp maple syrup● 2 tsp toasted sesame oil● Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger root, finely chopped or minced● 1 garlic clove, finely chopped● Grated zest and juice…

‘I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think,’ declared the Sufi mystic Rumi. And even though he was writing way back in the 13th century, his perspective on singing represents how many of us still feel in the 21st century: that singing is performative, and something we either get ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ This mindset is the reason many people stop singing altogether in adulthood, fearing judgment or ridicule – something that is reinforced and amplified by TV competitions such as The X Factor. Our identity is bound up in our voice – it’s our auditory DNA – so it’s not surprising that many people choose to remain silent and not open up their voice (and, by extension, themselves) to criticism. As…