🌱 A Holistic Guide to Finishing the Year in Alignment
As we approach the end of the year, many people instinctively shift into one of two modes:
Pushing harder.
Checking out completely.
Both are survival strategies, but neither creates true alignment.
Instead of more pressure or more avoidance, I would like to invite you to pause just long enough to notice what’s actually happening inside you: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Finishing the year in alignment doesn’t mean doing more or caring less.
It means returning to yourself with grace and self-awareness so you can remember what’s important.
Here’s a gentle, whole-person guide to help you close the year with intention and clarity. ✨
BODY: Nourish Yourself
The holidays can become an endless cycle of sugar, stress, alcohol, travel, and disrupted routines…all of which drive inflammation, fatigue, insomnia, and mood swings.
It’s the holidays, so you can give yourself a break. Nobody’s expected to be perfect! But you can support your physiology so you can feel more like yourself. 🥰
A few grounding practices for the body:
1.Lean toward anti-inflammatory holiday meals.
Think warm, whole foods. Protein at every meal. Colorful plants. Herbs and spices. Your cells feel the difference immediately.
2. Prioritize hydration (yes, even now).
Fatigue, headaches, cravings, and brain fog improve dramatically with adequate hydration.
3. Keep your circadian rhythm steady.
This is one of the most underrated pillars of health. Try to wake up and go to bed at consistent times, and get morning sunlight whenever possible. This single habit improves hormones, mood, metabolism, and immune function.
👉 Small choices accumulate. These doable practices are incredibly supportive when done consistently.
MIND: Reflect First
Most people rush into resolutions without acknowledging the year they just lived.
But reflection is what makes transformation sustainable. đź’Ż
A few questions to explore:
What did I navigate this year that I still haven’t fully acknowledged?
Where did I grow in ways I didn’t expect?
Which habits, relationships, or patterns drained me?
What actually nourished me?
What am I ready to release so I don’t carry it into the new year?
Meet your mind with honesty instead of judgment. 🫶
SPIRIT: Create Simple Rituals
Spiritual practices don’t have to be elaborate and super “woo.” In fact, the most powerful ones are often the simplest.
Try one or two of these tiny rituals to ground yourself:
1.Light a candle in the morning and set one word for the day.
Examples: “ease,” “boundaries,” “peace,” “strength.”
2. Place your hand on your heart before entering social gatherings.
A moment of grounding can help you center yourself and shift your entire evening.
3. Practice one deep, conscious breath before each meal.
This calms the nervous system and signals safety to the body, which aids in digestion, gut health, and metabolism.
4. End each day with two gratitudes and one truth.
Example: “I’m grateful for… and today I realized…”
These rituals help you reconnect with yourself and put things back into perspective.
SOUL: Reconnect With Intention
The soul thrives on meaning, connection, and presence.
1.Spend time outside — even 10 minutes.
Whether you live in a warm climate where you can bask in the blue skies and sunshine or a cold climate where you can see snow and evergreen trees, nature helps regulate the nervous system faster than anything else.
2. Let yourself feel the full spectrum of the year.
Whatever you felt this year — joy, disappointment, loss, expansion, grief — soul-level alignment happens when you acknowledge your emotional truths.
3. Set intentions instead of resolutions.
Resolutions are about control. Intentions are about direction. There’s a difference.
A few examples:
“I intend to care for my energy and work on my boundaries.”
“I intend to stop ignoring my own needs.”
“I intend to make choices that correspond with my values.”
“I intend to move toward greater health: mind, body, and spirit.”
Intentions are helpful to re-orient you and align with where your soul is ready to go next.
Finishing the Year in Alignment Is an Act of Remembering
These practices allow you to remember who you are beneath the noise, to remember what your body needs, what actually matters, and what you’re ready to release.
Remember that well-being is a path you walk a little more fully each day. 🌿
As you close this year, let yourself do it with gentleness, honesty, and a deeper devotion to your whole self: body, mind, spirit, and soul.
You deserve that kind of alignment. ❤️
Give Yourself (or Someone Else!) the Gift of Alignment
As we close out the year, this can be a powerful time to pause, reflect, and realign rather than rushing into the next chapter depleted. For the holidays, I’m offering my 60–90 minute Personalized Wellness Consultation at a special rate of $147 (regularly $220).
This session is a standalone, whole-person deep dive designed to bring clarity, direction, and practical next steps across physical, emotional, and spiritual health. It also makes a thoughtful, meaningful gift for someone you care about. 🫶
✨ Holiday special pricing is available for a limited time.
✨ Sessions can be booked now or scheduled for the new year.
Visit My New WEbsite
I’m also happy to share that my new website is live:
👉 annadesmarais.com
You can learn more about my work, explore services, and book your consultation there, too.
If you’re ready to finish the year with intention — or help someone else do the same — I’d love to support you.
