Why I Don’t Believe January Is the Time for New Year’s Resolutions
Claire Thomas 
and Why Spring Is a Far Kinder Place to Begin
Every January, I notice the same quiet tension in the people I work with.
Highly capable and ambitious individuals, people who care deeply about their health, their work, and the life they’re building, arrive feeling a mix of hope and heaviness. They want change. They want things to feel different. And yet, beneath the motivation sits a familiar exhaustion.
From a nutritional and physiological perspective, this isn’t surprising. January asks for reinvention at precisely the point when the body is still recovering.
Historically, winter was never a season of optimisation. It was a time of slowing down, of eating to nourish rather than restrict, of conserving energy so the body could repair. Long before productivity culture existed, winter was understood as a season of hibernation. Less movement. Simpler food. More rest.
Modern life, of course, has dismantled that rhythm. Winter now arrives with deadlines, social obligations, emotional reflection, disrupted routines, and less daylight, all layered on top of already busy lives. By the time January appears, many people are not refreshed or ready for change; they are depleted.
Yet January is when we’re told to try harder.
From a physiological standpoint, this creates friction. During the darker months, the body is already adapting to reduced light exposure, increased immune demand, and greater reliance on stored energy. Sleep can be more fragile. Blood sugar regulation may be less stable. Stress hormones often run higher simply to maintain normal functioning.
When you’re already living with chronic stress or fatigue, this matters. Asking your body to suddenly tolerate restriction, increased exercise, or rigid routines at this point isn’t neutral, it adds another layer of demand.
This is why so many January resolutions quietly fail, particularly for high-achieving people. Not because they lack discipline, but because the body isn’t in a season that supports sustained output. In clinic, I see this play out repeatedly. People reduce food intake while their nervous system is already under pressure. They push exercise while sleep is poor. They attempt to “fix” low energy through effort, rather than support.
The result is usually predictable. Motivation lasts for a few weeks. Energy dips. Guilt creeps in, and eventually the plan is abandoned, reinforcing the belief that something is wrong with them.
In reality, the problem was never willpower. It was timing.
This is why I prefer intentions over resolutions, particularly in winter. Language shapes how we treat ourselves. Resolutions tend to be rigid and binary, you’re either on track or you’ve failed. Intentions, by contrast, allow for nuance. They hold direction without demanding perfection. They invite curiosity rather than control.
An intention might still be specific, but it’s rooted in support rather than pressure. Instead of forcing change, it asks a gentler question: What would help my body feel safer and more resourced right now?
Seasonal wisdom supports this approach. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is associated with the Kidney system, which governs our reserves, resilience, and long-term vitality. Winter is understood as a time to protect energy, not expend it. Modern physiology echoes this idea. When stress is high and recovery is low, the body prioritises survival, not growth.
Growth comes later.
Spring, on the other hand, is when momentum returns naturally. Light increases. Energy rises. Motivation feels less forced. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is associated with the Liver system, which is responsible for movement, planning, and direction. It is the season of expansion and forward motion.
This is why, for many people, March feels like a quiet turning point. Sleep often improves. Mood lifts. The body becomes more resilient to change. From a biological perspective, it makes far more sense to set goals and intentions here than in the depths of winter.
Right now, in the week before Christmas, this matters more than ever. This is not the moment to overhaul your health, audit your habits, or decide you need a complete reset. For most people, this time of year calls for steadiness, not ambition. Support, not pressure.
That support doesn’t need to be complicated. It often looks like eating regularly to stabilise blood sugar, choosing warmth and nourishment over restriction, simplifying decisions, and allowing rest without justification. These are not indulgences. They are stabilisers, and for a nervous system that has been coping for a long time, stabilisation is powerful.
One of the most important reframes I offer clients is this: winter is not something to push through. If you’re tired right now, it doesn’t mean you’re failing or falling behind. It may simply mean your body is asking for care before it asks for change.
This isn’t about lowering standards or abandoning ambition. It’s about respecting rhythm. About recognising that different seasons ask different things of us.
Instead of January resolutions, I encourage people to think in phases. Winter becomes a time to nourish, simplify, and observe without judgment. Early spring offers space to reflect and clarify intentions. And spring itself becomes the natural moment to build momentum.
You are not late, you are not broken, and you don’t need to fix everything at the start of the year.
Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is wait for the season that supports you, and prepare quietly in the meantime.
Spring will come, and when it does, you’ll be far better placed to move forward with energy, clarity, and resilience than any January resolution could ever deliver.
If this resonated, consider letting winter be a season of support rather than self-pressure.
You don’t need to make big changes right now, but you can begin noticing what your body is asking for. When you’re ready to think about energy, resilience, and sustainable change, that’s where I work best: helping you understand your physiology, reduce overwhelm, and create a plan that actually fits your life.
Spring is a powerful time to move forward, and preparing gently now can make all the difference.
About Claire
Claire Thomas is a Nutritional Therapist, NLP Practitioner, and Phlebotomist with a background in Children’s Nursing. She specialises in supporting ambitious women who feel exhausted, burnt out, or stuck in survival mode. Through personalised nutrition, mindset coaching, and functional testing, Claire helps her clients increase their energy levels, find clarity, and do more of what they love. Based near Cullompton, Devon, she works both in-person and online through her clinic, Nourish to Soar