March: The Real New Year
Transitioning from the Room to the Path
We’ve been told for years that January 1st is the time for fresh starts. But let’s be honest: in the UK, January is for hunker-down survival. It’s hard to "bloom" when the ground is still frozen and we’re all living under what I call the "environmental frost".
To me, the real New Year begins on March 25th, Lady Day. It’s the old traditional New Year and the week the sap truly begins to rise. If you’ve spent the last two months feeling like a bit of a shambles because you haven't "transformed" your life yet, I have a secret for you: You aren't late; you’re just moving at the pace of nature.
The Backstory
Why March 25th? For nearly 600 years, England and Wales didn’t bother with January 1st. They waited until Lady Day. It was the "Legal Head" and "Agricultural Heart" of the country, the day rents were due, farm labourers were hired, and contracts began.
When the UK switched calendars in 1752, the government panicked about losing 11 days of tax revenue. This will be a shock to no one currently reading this (or anyone historically, I would guess). To fix it, they simply moved the tax year forward by 11 days, which is why we’re left with the "shambles" of an April 6th start date. Even our bureaucracy is just a series of historical pivots!
Our ancestors didn't try to change their lives in the dark of January. They waited for the light to be equal to the dark (the Equinox) and for the contracts to be ready. We should probably be kinder to ourselves and do the same.
From the "Room" to the "Path"
In the depth of winter, therapy is often about "The Room." It’s a cocoon. It’s a place where we sit, tucked away from the world, and do the heavy, internal work of looking at the shadows. We needed that enclosure to feel safe while the world outside was harsh.
But as the days stretch toward that first 6:00 PM sunset, something shifts. In the BSL community, we talk about the power of visual signs and right now, the world is giving us a very clear one. The work begins to transition:
The Room: Is for holding. It’s where we sit with the pain, the history, and the "stuckness."
The Path: Is for moving. As the light returns, we start looking at how to take what we’ve learned in the room and actually walk with it out into the world.
When the Sap Rises
There is a specific energy in March. You can see it in the buds; they look like they might burst at any second. The dog has already figured this out; she’s no longer curled into a ball by the woodburner. She’s standing by the back door, ears up, waiting for the first scent of patch of sunshine and possibility.
That same tension often shows up in the therapy room. You might feel a sudden "itch" to change, a restlessness, or a desire to finally tackle that one thing you’ve been avoiding all winter. This isn't a "shambles" of anxiety; it’s growth. It’s the transition from internal reflection to external action.
Issuing Your Own Permission Slip
If you’ve spent the winter feeling like you’re just treading water, give yourself some grace. You were hibernating. You were protecting your energy.
Now, as we approach the spring equinox, the path is opening up. As a psychotherapist, supervisor, and BSL-aware practitioner, my goal remains the same: to help you move at the pace of your own nature. I’m not here to push you down the path but to walk it with you holding the space while you find your stride.
You don't need to spring into a full sprint. You just need to step out of the cocoon and see where the path leads.