In recent years, the concepts of mindfulness, manifesting, and vision boards have gained significant traction as tools for personal development and enhanced well-being. These practices are not purely trends; they are rooted in the psychological principles that promote positive thinking and intentional actions. It’s proven that visual motivators can support us to engage in desired behaviors, thoughts and emotions when we choose them carefully. As we approach a New Year, it’s much like a clean board, ready to be filled with images that engage us to be focused on the goals, values and motivators we want to drive us in the coming days, weeks and months ahead. In many ways, we all have a chance to decide right now how we will thrive in 2025.
Mindfulness is now a sometimes overused term and an underused practice. You can’t just say mindfulness and it happens; you have to practice it! Mindfulness is the practice of just that, being present and fully engaged in the moment without judgment. In an online article by The National Institutes of Health, Dr. Sona Dimidjian of the University of Colorado Boulder shares her studies on the use of mindfulness-based treatments to prevent relapse of depression, including among pregnant women. “Developing the skill of mindfulness can help stop you from being pulled into anyone’s thought and carried down the stream. People often experience thoughts like, ‘Nothing ever works out for me,’ or ‘it’s always going to be this way. Over time, and with practice, you can develop the ability to stand back from these painful thought patterns.” By incorporating mindfulness into daily routines, we can all welcome a greater awareness of our own thoughts and feelings, leading to more intentional decision-making, lowering anxieties and welcoming more truths of what is really happening in and around us. This heightened awareness allows for better management of stressors that may arise throughout the year and allow you to better focus on your goals.
Manifestation is another popular term that involves visualizing desired outcomes and believing in their possibility. You may also do this but call it: dreaming, hoping, or even praying. Many people have heard of “ The Law of Attraction,” which suggests that positive thoughts attract positive experience which is now supported by many studies that indicate that setting clear intentions can lead to increased outcomes. Call it what you want but the verdict is in, that if we focus on what we want, and we align our actions to this, it’s more likely to become a reality!
This is where a vision board can be a great tool! Vision boards can be a fun craft but when you do them with mindful intention, they serve as tangible representations of your own hopes and desires. They consist of images and words that reflect what you want to “manifest,” by helping you to think, feel and act in a way towards makes them possible. This is why boards should be made with intention: You will hopefully be looking at your board often as a reminder of your commitment to perhaps look, feel, see, taste, or do the things on it.
At The Wellness Center, we know that “wellness” often comes with setting goals and seeking new levels of well-being. To support individuals in their lifelong journeys to live their most “well” life, we are offering a few options to think ahead into 2025:
1. Manifest and Move Workshop: Monday, December 30th, 10 AM, this workshop will incorporate meditation, journaling, and movement. Participants will engage in mindful practices designed to release old patterns while embracing new intentions for the upcoming year.
2. Manifestation and Vision Board Workshop: January 2nd, 10 AM. This workshop will focus on guided meditation to welcome visualizing your healthiest and most abundant year ahead. Attendees will create personalized vision boards that encapsulate their goals for health, happiness, and success.
Both workshops aim to provide participants with practical tools to foster positive thinking and set meaningful intentions for the new year. They do require pre-registration as materials need to be prepped in advance for each person. Anyone interested can email mhoadley@ncshi.org for more information.
As we all look forward to the new year, chances are we all have positive intentions already. However, it is up to each of us to take the actions that will welcome this new heightened state of mental and physical well-being. By envisioning a healthier lifestyle through mindfulness practices like meditation or journaling, combined with actionable steps from workshops like those mentioned above, individuals can significantly enhance their quality of life. Will you? What will you do differently if you want to feel, look, think, act or just be different in the coming year? If we want change, we have to change from our thoughts to our actions. Only you can decide how to thrive in 2025.