The Feminine Rebellion Against New Year’s Resolutions

Every January, women are told to “start fresh,” “set goals,” and “become the best version” of themselves with our new year resolutions.  Most women will fail at these. But what if the problem isn’t our willpower, but that New Year’s resolutions were never designed with women’s natural rhythms in mind? 

This isn’t laziness or lack of discipline. It’s biology, energy, and centuries of conditioning colliding. And it’s time for a rebellion — a feminine one. 

Because women aren’t meant to operate on a linear calendar that demands constant productivity. Our energy moves in cycles — physical, emotional, and seasonal. Yet every January, we’re told to push harder, do more, and “fix” ourselves, as if we were broken to begin with. 

What if the most radical thing you could do right now isn’t to push, but to pause? 

The New Year Is a Social Construct — Your Body Runs on Nature’s Time

The idea that January should be a time of big transformation is cultural, not biological. Your body follows natural rhythms, including the circannual rhythm — your internal seasonal cycle. 

Winter isn’t designed for high output. It’s a time for slowing down, conserving energy, and restoring.  It’s the season of meaning-making — asking what worked, what drained you, and what you no longer want to carry forward. For us women it should be a time of reflection, turning inwards and listening to what we really want and need in our lives to feel fulfilled and find our joy. So, when culture shouts, “New year, new you!” your body often whispers, “Please slow down.” Listening to that whisper isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. 

Why January Feels Heavy

Winter energy isn’t about action, it’s about reflection.

That’s why January can feel tender or emotionally charged. It’s not a starting gun, it’s a threshold. A pause between what has been and what’s next. 

Motivation Isn’t Missing — It’s Just Seasonal

Expecting yourself to bloom in midwinter ignores how human bodies actually work — especially in midlife, when hormones and nervous system capacity are shifting.   

January isn’t for sprinting. It’s for listening. 

Understanding “Wintering”

As Katherine May describes in Wintering, it’s a fallow period — a time of retreat, rest, and quiet repair. For many women, especially in perimenopause, wintering isn’t just seasonal, it’s layered.

Fatigue, sensitivity, and a desire for solitude aren’t failures. They’re signals.

After a busy Christmas hosting twenty-two people and pouring my heart into creating a beautiful celebration, I found myself craving something completely different — quiet walks, time off-grid, a hot tub, nourishing food, my yoga mat, and my journal.

This was the first year I truly listened. I gave myself what I needed, not what culture told me I should want. And it felt so good — guilt-free, grounding, and deeply restorative. It set the tone for the year ahead: to honour where I am, to ask whether my desires are truly mine or shaped by external pressure.

As a coach, I know that real transformation begins with courage and honesty — the courage to listen to yourself. So this January, I invite you to do the same. Reflect, listen, and respond.

Ask yourself, is this really what I want and need in my life right now?

What is my why?

A Reframe for January

Instead of “New Year, New Me,” try “New Year, New Awareness.” 

Winter isn’t stillness without purpose, it’s quiet transformation.  You are not behind. You are in flow.  And that, lovely, is the most revolutionary thing of all. 

A Gentle Invitation

If your body is asking for rest, reflection, or reconnection this January, honour that. You don’t need to rush into resolutions or force motivation. You just need space to listen. 

That’s why I’m offering a limited number of 1-hour Reconnection Calls this month for £49. It’s a chance to pause, realign with your feminine rhythm, and set intentions that truly support who you are now. 

This isn’t about doing more. It’s about coming home to yourself. 

If your heart is whispering that it’s time to reconnect, you can book your Reconnection Call on the She Thrives Homepage just click on work with me — I’d love to hold that space for you.