When New Year approached, I was sitting in the beautiful village of Noss Maya in Devon surrounded by beaches, sea and nature. A few days away with my husband and two dogs.  This was the start of 2025 I needed, gentle, peaceful and calming to both my mind and soul. For many people, a new year is about setting intentions—sometimes as formalized New Year's resolutions, and other times just as a quiet recalibration of what matters. Intentions are often more about direction than rigid goals. They provide a kind of internal compass for how we want to approach the coming year, even if the specific outcomes remain flexible. I much prefer intentions rather than resolutions – I feel they are kinder to us and I love the idea that they are something to work towards rather than achieve. What kind of intentions are you thinking about for January or the year ahead?

My intentions are about leaving the damaging voices of the past in the past. I had been struggling with my mobility for quite a while, in all honesty for years, becoming a master at hiding it. I would listen to the voices from my past telling me it was selfish to think about myself, there was nothing wrong with me, I was pathetic to complain and urging me to get on with it.  I ignored the loving voices of the present who were saying to please have this looked at. Eventually, after one dear friend laid down the law to me, I began to listen to these present-day supportive voices and went to visit the GP – to be sent off for an X-ray. I have now been diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis of the hip and advised I need a total hip replacement. I am 55 years of age, and I was not expecting this news. Ironically, although shocked and scared about the prospect of an operation, I felt relieved, I wasn’t being silly or pathetic, there indeed was a reason I was in pain.

January feels like a fresh start for me. The start of a new year often brings this collective sense of possibility and intention, like a blank canvas or a reset button. People use it to reflect on the past and decide how they want to move forward. My reflections which are driving my intentions for 2025 are about leaving those voices from the past, in the past. I am going to choose to listen to the supportive voices of the present, and to focus on my own physical health so that my future can be one of mobility and health.

I am often heard quoting Maya Angelou “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Even though I left going to the GP for a long time, I have gone, and I am now on the path of healing. It can be scary to face up to our own personal struggles and brave when we do. I am often in awe of my clients who seek help and start their own journey of healing. It is hard to ask for help. It is incredibly hard to face the trauma of the past, to explore our past to heal and support ourselves in the present for the future we deserve. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” (Maya Angelou)

Wishing everyone a gentle, peaceful, calm and healthy 2025.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela