It’s the most stressful time of the year, to paraphrase the iconic carol. But it doesn’t have to be. The end of the year isn’t a hard deadline you have to race to meet. And I promise that your to-do list won’t explode if you don’t get it all done. Pinky promise.

In fact, you can be done today if you want. You can just close your laptop and step away. You can sit those last-minute demands out, say no to those “urgent” meetings, ignore the tasks that people are shoveling off their desk and on to yours. You don’t need to earn that break by burning the candle at both ends – you’ve already earned it just by being you and existing as a person in this complex world.

Let’s take “crunch time” and reframe it as “let’s circle back after the end of the year season.”

All those obligations and expectations and appearances can wait. For now, let’s bring it back to you. Now is the time to celebrate your wins, your hopes, your dreams. To center yourself and just be present in the moment. To land gently and with awareness of self.

Once you’ve met yourself right where you are, then commit to meeting the new year in the way that works for you. Perhaps goal-setting and resolutions provide the structure and intentionality you need to recommit to yourself. Or maybe you’re the kind who goes with the flow and lets the universe guide you to where you need to be.

Whatever way works for you, do right by yourself by putting you at the heart of whatever it is you want to manifest. Don’t just stick to work or business goals. Strive to do more of what makes you feel powerful, grateful and centered – and keep checking in with yourself throughout the year. I’m serious…put.it.on.the.calendar right now. Because without wellness, everything else struggles to break through.

If you’re ready to hit that “me first” button, I’m here for you. Art of VIII is here for you. Because there’s nothing that centers and empowers like dance. Dance helps you reset, reassess and reimagine. It keeps you in the present and positions you to move in the direction that will most fulfill you – one step, one class, one routine at a time.

So, my friend, close the door on whatever else 2022 wants from you, and open it on a landscape that gives you what nourishes you. And when the desire to move your body and shape your space around you calls – stop by Art of VIII. We’re always here for you.