January 1st Resolutions Feeling Forced? Me Too…Here’s Why
So…. it’s January, how are you feeling? What’s going on? Are you hesitating? Are you feeling like this fresh start blah blah blah yada yada feels a little hard and forced?
Get in line, me too, boo.
I totally get that.
For years I thought it was just me, having a birthday a week after New Years, during the weeks that folks are cutting back, dealing with post holiday spending. I told myself it was just bad birthday luck and me wanting to not stop the party before my day.
Not to mention we all have agreed that the Gregorian calendar is marking the date and time and that January 1st sounds really good as a starting point. But one of the things I love about having Chinese Medicine knowledge is access to a different way of thinking about things, especially when what seems to be preached to us loudly feels a little off.
Winter just started, for crying out loud.
The rest of nature is resting, hibernating, sleeping and dreaming of Spring, that blooming season of action and… dare I say it, rebirth, restarts. (sounds more appropriate for some goal setting action, no?) So maybe that sluggishness you’re feeling is less about holiday overindulgence, and more about your body, on a cellular level, showing it’s wisdom.
The other thing I love about Chinese Medicine is this idea of the lunar calendar, the lunar new year, and the animals and elements that represent it. And right now? We're still in Yin Wood Snake Year. That hasn't changed. And it won't change until February 17th when the Year of the Horse begins. And not just any horse, a Yang Fire Horse year… now, without any research or data, the feeling of those words speak loudly (we’ll still get into it) but yes… that’s exactly what’s coming. So when my body says chill, nourish, rest… I can feel the need for preparation and ease.
If you're feeling like it's hard to get started, it's hard to refresh, it's hard to renegotiate your own goals, please know you're not alone. Goodness knows if no one else, I'm right there with you.
Yin Wood Snake Year - Through February 17, 2026
I'm not here to get into astrology. I'm coming from Chinese Medicine's way of using nature as a way of not only marking time, but explaining our entire world and our connection to it.
Yin energy is feminine, receptive, inward-focused. It's the "rest and digest" mode your nervous system craves. It's consolidation, not expansion. Integration, not initiation.
Wood element brings growth and flexibility, but also constraint. Think of how wood bends but can also break if pushed too hard. It's spring-like energy even in winter, full of potential waiting to emerge.
Snake is the archetype of transformation. Snakes literally shed their skin multiple times a year to grow. They hibernate in winter, conserving energy. They move slowly, deliberately, waiting for the right moment.
This passing year, 2025, the Yin Wood Snake Year, has truly been about what it feels like to be on my belly in the grass, moving through life. About shedding skin in the way a snake revives itself over and over again as it grows, as it re-creates itself. See why I love using nature?
And here's my Snake Year truth:
You know, I sent an email out several weeks ago about hitting my one-year mark of truly committing to my physical fitness and my Peloton from December 1st through December 1st. And I'll be honest, it's been a little demotivating and demoralizing.
Because while I've had many breakthroughs (mental, emotional, and physical) I haven't necessarily seen the "gains" (or shall we say, losses) that I was hopefully aiming for. The scale hasn't moved the way I wanted. The mirror doesn't show what I expected.
But here's what I discovered this year: No amount of hustling or head-down, not-resting work is going to help me achieve my goals the way I thought it would.
However, I DID get closer to my goals. Did I hit milestones I didn't know I was still capable of? Absolutely. But this Yin Snake Year taught me something more important than visible results:
Transformation happens underground.
The work I did this year, the consistency, the showing up, the nervous system regulation, the choosing rest when my body asked for it even when culture told me to push, that wasn't wasted because I can't see it yet. That was building the foundation.
(Not to mention that there are no results if there is no rest, but that’s a whole other blog… in process)
Snake Year doesn't look impressive from the outside. But the internal shifts? Those are what make Horse Year's expansion possible.
Yang Fire Horse Year - February 17, 2026
And speaking of Horse Year… buckle up, buttercup!
We’re moving into a Yang Fire Horse Year, and everything you can think of and feel when you say “yang” and “fire” and “horse”... things are about to take off.
Yang energy is masculine, active, outward-focused. It’s healthy activation, momentum, expansion.
Fire element brings passion, intensity, speed, and peak summer energy (even though we’re moving into late winter/early spring, seasonally speaking)
Horse is the archetype of freedom, speed, enthusiasm, adventure, and stamina. Horses are social, collaborative, bold. They move FAST.
This is expansion energy. This is when intentions turn into action. This is when the internal work of that Yin Snake Year becomes visible external momentum.
But here’s the critical piece most often missed: You can’t jump straight from depletion into Horse energy and expect it to be sustainable.
You can’t skip Snake’s integration and expect Horse’s expansion to work. That is how you burn out. That’s how New Year’s resolutions fail by February.
The transition matters.
Ooookay… so what do we do with all of this now?
Well, we’re in the final weeks of Yin Wood Snake Year, Yang Fire Horse doesn’t arrive until February 17th.
So if you’re sitting in a space where you feel like you’re still resting, not ready to set big goals, still processing 2025… that’s exactly what you ought to do!
Maybe instead of journaling and reflecting on goals to accomplish in 2026, maybe right now is a good time to sit down and truly take a really good, calm, peaceful look at where you are.
Ask yourself:
What have I outgrown this year?
What have I shed in the past year
What circumstances enabled my growth?
How can I be thankful, (even showing gratitude for the things I didn’t enjoy*) because they allowed for the growth that brought me to where I am today.
*Note about that last one: It can be a challenge to find appreciation and gratitude for the things that sucked, but they are often the most clarifying events in our lives showing us what we no longer will tolerate, and exposing our heart’s desires. Don’t gloss over this part, so much rich marrow can be revealed if we allow our underbelly to be exposed.
This is what I’m choosing to do. I’m taking time to really sit with the lessons of the past year. To look at and take stock. To sit with gratitude, with peace, with ease. With forgiveness when necessary. Forgiveness of self, forgiveness of the person who tried to hustle through parts of her life when her body was clearly asking for rest.
I’m acknowledging the cycles I’m moving through, have moved/grown through, and what I’m moving towards. Who I’m taking with me. Who I’m choosing to work with. How I’m choosing to navigate any future gains.
Because the way I see it, and what I’ve learned from my Chinese Medicine journey, is that it’s not all progress. It’s also your process. It’s also growth.
Why Chinese Medicine's Perspective Matters
As a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine who studied in China and Tibet, I've watched practitioners adjust treatments based on seasonal and yearly energetics for thousands of years of recorded clinical practice. This isn't New Age thinking or trendy wellness advice, it's sophisticated pattern recognition refined across millennia.
And here's the thing: modern science is catching up.
The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for discoveries about how our biological clocks work at the molecular level. The research proved that our bodies have genetically programmed rhythms that don't reset on arbitrary calendar dates.
Research published in The Lancet shows that serotonin production (your motivation neurotransmitter) drops significantly in winter months due to reduced light exposure. January, with the shortest days in the Northern Hemisphere, offers your brain the LEAST neurochemical support for behavior change. (wait, what? I had to read that one twice)
Studies tracking over 1,000 people who set New Year's resolutions found that fewer than 10% maintained their goals after 12 months (PLOS ONE, 2020).
It's not you. It's terrible timing.
Your body is smarter than the Gregorian calendar. And Chinese Medicine has been documenting this for 4,000 years.
I've seen what happens when people honor their body's natural rhythms versus forcing against them. The former creates sustainable transformation. The latter creates burnout.
Your Challenge This Week
I don’t know of any truly happy-in-their-bodies people, talking mentally, physically or spiritually, who don’t take an honest look at where they are now. Even if it’s to say, “Wow, so much of that SUCKED. I’m SO GLAD I survived it.”
I’m grateful for the roof over my head and the food on my table, even when I didn’t necessarily make the best choices. I’m grateful for each hard moment, because I can clearly look back on them and say I gained something, even if it’s just the knowledge of never wanting to experience that non-sense again.
So here’s what I want to challenge you to do today:
Sit down with a piece of paper, open a note on your phone, whatever makes you actually do it. Ask yourself some questions:
Where have I been?
Where am I going
No judgments. No grand plans or schemes. Just honest reflection.
Give yourself permission to NOT have it all figured out.
Give yourself permission to wait until February 17th, when Yang Fire Horse Year begins, to set your intentions.
Give yourself permission to complete before you begin. To rest before you run. To shed before you expand.
Your body knows better than the calendar. Trust it.
Closing + Workshop Invitation
I'll be with you as we take these steps calmly, peacefully, and intentionally, through these final Snake weeks and into Horse Year.
And if you want to go beyond reflection and actually learn HOW to live in sync with your body's cycles, not just this month but for the rest of your life, I'm teaching everything I know in a 2-hour workshop.
Cyclical Wellness: Living in Sync
Monday, February 9, 2026 | 10am-12pm PT (Live via Zoom)
We're meeting in the final week of Yin Wood Snake Year, the sacred transition space before Yang Fire Horse Year begins on February 17th.
You'll learn:
Why January 1st fails (the science + the wisdom)
How to identify which phase YOU'RE in (rest, transition, action)
Practical tools for cyclical living (daily, monthly, seasonal, yearly)
How to set Horse Year intentions that actually stick…hint: because they're aligned with YOUR body
Two ways to work with me:
Workshop only: $67 (early bird through Jan 25 while I'm on my integration cruise)
Complete Package (workshop + personalized 1:1 session): $347 (early bird through Jan 25)
The Complete Package includes a private 60-minute session (Feb 10-13) where we personalize this framework for YOUR body and goals, plus acupuncture OR custom herbal consultation, and 30-day text support.
Limited to 10 package spots.
This isn't about forcing yourself to match arbitrary goals. It's about working WITH your body's wisdom to create sustainable change.
[Register here: LINK Coming Soon]
With deep respect for your rhythm,
Dr. Mama Shani Cooper, DACM, L.Ac.
Founder, Root & Soul Acupuncture
