Beyond Resolutions: Unconventional Ways I’m Prepping for the New Year

Weaving Grief
Dec 30, 2025
8 min read

If we want to live differently, sometimes (often times) we have to do things a little (a lot) differently along the way. As the New Year approaches, I am no stranger to the reflections, intentions, and manifestation processes that we are often encouraged to engage with. And while I enjoy those things, and I am here for whatever works for each of us, I thought I would share a few of my (unconventional) year end practices in preparation for the year ahead because in a world that rushes into the New Year with bold resolutions, long to-do lists and ambitious goals, sometimes we need soemthing a little diffferent.

Plus, research shows, that most resolutions fade by February, leaving us feeling like we've failed before the year has even really begun (I know I don't want that, and imagine you don't either).

We've all been there, setting big ambitious goals, only to abandon them and fall into old habits a few weeks later. So instead of joining the annual resolution race, I've created a gentler, more reflective and meanginful way to enter into the New Year with intention. Some of these practices may seem unconventional to some, but to others they may feel deeply aligned, and soul inspired with how yo0u choose to live: slow, sustainable, regenertaive, reflective, and intentional. Take what fits, and leave the rest.

If you've ever felt tired of chasing goals that don't stick anyways, maybe these unconventional ways to prepare for the New Year will speak to you too.

Why I No Longer Set Traditional New Years Resolutions

It's just not my vibe, but deeper then that, the societal obsession with self-improvement and endless growth is exhausting and honestly not the full experience. There is no magical pathway to success and becoming, and the missing piece no one talks about is what growth asks of us in the first place. If you're growing, you're grieving, and we need to make space for that conversation.

Plus, moved by the rythmns of nature, January 1st falls in the middle of winter where I live, and this is not naturally a season of radical trasformation and growth. It is rather, a season of rest, reflection, and stillness. Trying to sprint our way into January is in essence like pushing against the natural rythms of the earth. Instead of renewal, it often leads to quick burnout and disappointment.

Over the years, I have found that alternatives to New Years resolutions, such as rituals, reflections, and gentle invitations, actually create space for something deeper to emerge.

Unconventional Ways I Prep for the New Year

These aren't quick fixes, productivity hacks, or secrets to manifesting your dream life. These are soulful practices, ways of being with the fullness of our human experience, ways of honouring and grieving endings before we make way for whats next, ways of tending to the body, and inviting new beginnings in with softeness, intention, integrity, and alignment.

01. Grieve Endings, And What Was.

Before beginning anything new, I invite you to first pause and take inventory of what has ended. The truth is, every year brings both joy and grief.. relationships shift and change, dreams fade or fall away completely, seasons of life close quietly, sometimes without us barley even noticing at all, and when we look back sometimes we realize we aren't who we were when we started this year.

Instead of rushing forward and skipping past the endings, I make time to honour them. One of my favorite New Year reflection practices is writing a grief inventory list: a list of losses from the year, not just deaths or obvious griefs, but subtle ones too.. the jobs we out grow, the friendships that changed, the relationships that ended, the parts of ourselves that have changed, the dreams that have evolved or come to a close.

The passing year, with all its triumphs and tribulations, has woven a tapestry of experiences that asked for my presence, my reflection, my acknowledgment and attention to completion. In recognizing the significance of what was, I leaned into what I know - and that is the importance of grieving endings to make way for new beginnings. By grieving the past year freely, I completed pieces that felt incomplete, and am creating the space for myself to step into the new year fully.

Grieving, in this context, isn't a lamentation of loss in the traditional sense but rather a conscious acknowledgment of the passing time, an acknowledgement of the chapters closing, and the moments of completion, before we begin anew.

Consciously choosing to make space for grief is a deliberate act of honoring the fullness of our human experience, of acknowledging journey, with all of its highs and lows, and allowing ourselves the emotional space to weave our prayers and thanks for what once was. This process is liberating; it allows us to untangle the threads of unfinished narratives, resolving the lingering echoes of both joy and sorrow.

02. Rituals of Renewal, Instead of Resolution

For me, New Year rituals are about renewal and reflection, not reinvention.

Maybe this looks like spending the morning clearing out space in your home, building an alter, or a physical representation of what you are inviting into the year ahead (and yes, this can be a vision board). Do what feels good to you, not what you think you are "supposed" to do.

It is the ritualistic closure and completion that allows us to step forward unburdened by the weight of unresolved emotions and incomplete experiences. Just as the seasons change, so do the chapters of our lives, and by honoring the endings, we can create the necessary space for new stories to unfold.

03. Honouring the Body

How does your body want to be met, nourished, and treated this year? Rather than letting the mind decide what it thinks we "should" do, what if we asked our bodies instead?

Do you need more rest? More movement? Different nourishment? A new practitioner on your care team? Less of something?

Our bodies know. Mine always knows before my mind does, and the question then becomes, will I get quiet enough to listen and will I even ask the question?

04. Creating Gentle Intention, Not Ridgid Goals

Life isn't ridgid, its complex, cyclical, messy, and nuanced. I don't know about you, but I don't respond well to ridgid goals or being told what to do, my inner rebel comes out. So instead of ridgid goals that often feel forced and full of "shoulds" and expectation, I like to set intentions, and choose an anchor word.

Some of the anchor words I have chosen in past years have been:

Integrity
Love
Discernment
Devotion

This year, its softer.

I find that choosing an anchor word is a supportive touchstone that I can return back to again and again, with ease, as a reminder of how I intended to show up and experience this year. It helps guide the decisions I make, how I care for myself and others, how I show up in my life and in my work, and grounds me when life is doing what life does (iykyk). Unlike a resolution, this is not something to achieve, there is no pass or fail, just a weaving back to what mattters .. again and again, over and over.

05. Contemplating Death and The End

Sounds morbid to most, but stick with me.

Meaning, I asked myself questions about who I want to be, what I want to be remembered for, and what I would do if this was my last year on earth. Clairity emerges, loud and clear.

I love this practice, because when we get to the heart of it, the stuff that doesn't really matter, that ends up being for show or status all falls away and we are left to be with the heart and soul of who we are and what we came here to do.

06. Closing Out with Prayer

For years, in my biggest seaosns of grief, I have leaned into the H'oponopno Prayer to guide and anchor me. I began weaving this into my New Year process as well.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

I love this song.

05. Invitations of Reflection

The Soul of New Year Preparation

Some of these practices may feel unconventional because they are different then what mainstream narratives teach us about the New Year. However, these practices are sacred, rooted in ritual, meaning, and intentional reflection.

The soul of New Years preparation is not about hustling harder or fixing yourself, its about remembering who you are, who you came here to be, tending to what you've lost, honouring what is no longer, and gently stepping into what's to come.

When we opt in for soulful presence, we create beginnings that last, not because we are forcing them to exist, but because they grow from the ground of what truly matters.

Your Invitation Forward

As this year ends, and a new one is about to begin, I invite you to try something different. Instead of rushing towards resolutions, goals, and whats next. Pause and reflect on what this past year has asked of you, who have you had to become, and what have you had to let go of?

May you move out of this year with completion, and into the next with presence. You don't need to rush, force, or fix. May this be your invitation to go deepen into what feels more alive and true for you.

If you'd like more support in weaving in soulful practices into your life, I invite you to download my free being with grief guide. It's a gentle guided workboook full of reflections, rituals, and practices for moving through endings and beginnings with presence. Or our newest offering - Grief and Growth.

Here's to entering into the New Year with presence (minus the pressure and perfection). In service of your aliveness, may you grieve freely, and live fully.

As you stand at the edge of 2023, on the brink of a new year, the canvas of 2024 awaits your creative touch. The act of grieving 2023 is not an act of dwelling in the past but a deliberate and conscious choice to embrace the full spectrum of human experience. It is an act of courage, a conscious decision to make room for the unwritten stories, the unexplored adventures, and the untapped potential that lay ahead. By gazing back and reflecting on all that was in 2023, we set the stage for a more intentional and vibrant entry in 2024.

My you step forward with a heart unburdened, carrying the wisdom of the past and the anticipation of the future. The ritual of grieving has become a transformative bridge, connecting what was to what will be, and in its wake, may we find ourselves ready to embrace the dawn of a new year with open arms and a rejuvenated spirit.

Over here in our world we aren't doing grief work the way we’ve been sold, taught, and fed throughout our lives. If you’re like us, you’re ready to do it differently.

Ready to take the next step? Click here to book a discovery call where we will get to know you, your grief, and invite you into the path that we think would be most supportive for where you're at (no pressure, invitational always, left in your hands to decide).

In this blog post: Ditch resolutions and embrace soulful, unconventional New Year rituals. Discover reflective, intentional practices to start the year with meaning.