New Year Self Evaluation

Hello friends! I'm writing to you during a 3 hour train ride in Japan (so minimal distractions). New Years is a much bigger deal in Japan compared to Christmas. In Japan, Christmas is a romantic date night celebrated by young couples whereas New Years is a traditional holiday celebrated by the whole family. In Japan, the New Year is a time to reflect on the past year, express gratitude to people in your life, and prepare your heart and mind for the upcoming year. As soon as December 26th came along, all of the holiday lights and santas in the shop windows came down instantly and were replaced with traditional New Years decorations, images of dogs (2018 is the year of the doge!), and year-end gifts. The local shrines are getting spruced up as they prepare for the busiest day of the year. 

In the Japanese spirit of New Years, why not take some time for self reflection?

The Satir Mandala

Virginia Satir, one of the pioneers of Marriage and Family Therapy, developed this mandala. The basic concept is that people have needs which are unique each of these areas in the mandala. According to Satir, a healthy individual nurtures all of these areas daily to have a fulfilling lifestyle. If one of these areas is neglected, a person might unconsciously seek ways to meet that need in an unhealthy way. You can see for yourself which areas in your life are going great, and which areas might deserve a little more attention next year.

Contextual: 
What is the condition of your surrounding environment? (Home, office, school)
Are you satisfied with the environment where you spend your time?
Ex: Home improvement projects, putting fresh flowers in your workspace

Spiritual: 
How are you nourishing your soul?
Do you have peace with your personal beliefs, whether they are religious or otherwise?
Ex: Practice daily prayer/meditation, attend a church, exploring your personal conviction about spiritual things

Interactional:
Do you have meaningful interactions with others?
How have you nurtured relationships with the people you treasure?

Emotional:
How have you nurtured emotional awareness? (Being able to describe how you are feeling...it can be hard!)
Are there things going on in your life that make you feel emotionally good?

Sensual: 
How are you stimulating your senses? (The 5 senses: touch, sight, sound, taste, smell)
In what ways do you enjoy your senses?
Ex: Eating good food, listening to music

Nutritional: 
Are you eating a healthy diet?

Intellectual:
In what ways are you challenging your mind?
What topics are you curious about?

Physical:
How are you taking care of your physical health?


Where do you guys stand? I know that I definitely neglected some of these areas as I was finishing up grad school. My husband also had a tough year with staff shortages and lots of overtime work. Life happens! But if you are aware of where you stand, you can take small steps towards nurturing particular areas in your life. 

Have a Happy New Year and see you next year!