Amy, our Wellbeing Psychologist and Nature Therapist at The Bothy by Wildsmith shares her insights on reflecting on the past year and setting meaningful intentions for 2025.
As the festive season arrives, John Lennon’s lyrics, “Another year over, a new one just begun,” will play softly in the background in homes, offices, cars and shops everywhere. It’s indeed the time for looking back on the past year and envisioning what we hope will happen in the coming one. This mindset is what behavioural psychologists refer to as “the fresh start effect,” which suggests that significant milestones naturally inspire us to make changes. We celebrate the highs, learn from the challenges and channel renewed optimism and motivation into planning for a positive future. Here are my top tips for reflecting on your past year and setting meaningful, achievable intentions for 2025.
ASK YOURSELF THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
When life pulls us in every direction, the brief moments we take to pause and reflect are precious. I tend to take those moments on my daily walks. Knowing the right questions to ask ourselves in these moments is essential. With my background in psychotherapy and coaching psychology, I’ve spent years honing the art of asking meaningful questions. Here are my top three favourites for reflecting on the year. 1. How has this year changed the way you think? 2. How did you grow this year? 3. If this year was a chapter in a book of your life, what would it be called?
MOMENTS OF JOY
As a Nature Therapist, I often encourage spending less time on your phone. However, for this quick reflective exercise, you’ll need to go through your photos from 2024. Take 5 minutes to browse through your pictures from January to December and pick 3 moments that were most meaningful to you - whether they were your proudest, calmest, happiest, most resilient, balanced or exciting moments. Screenshot each one, then flick between them and ask yourself: What made me choose these moments? What do these moments have in common? How can I create more moments like this in 2025?
NEW YEAR, NEW SAME YOU
New Year’s Resolutions often fail because they focus on our shortcomings, reinforcing our beliefs that we’re not good enough. They make us feel bad, leading us to avoid or shut down these feelings, which in turn makes our resolutions pointless. Instead, shift your mindset to focus on what you’re already great at and want to amplify, or on the activities that bring you joy and fulfillment that you’d like to do more of. When we centre our intentions around our strengths, they become more attractive, meaningful and motivating. This approach makes it more likely that we’ll stick to our intentions and start the year feeling happier, healthier, and more productive.
CREATE YOUR ECO-SYSTEM
No matter what intentions you set for 2025, having the right support system in place is essential for achieving them. Think about nature: a cactus thrives in the desert, perfectly adapted to the hot and dry conditions, while a redwood would struggle and wither in that environment. Just like plants, we each have unique needs that contribute to our growth and wellbeing. Reflect on what elements make up your ideal ecosystem - whether it's time spent in nature, a strong social network, a balanced routine, or moments of rest - and commit to creating and maintaining these conditions so that you can flourish in the year ahead.
Amy posts a self-reflection question on her Instagram every Friday. Follow her here.
