Before You Set New Year 2026 Intentions… PAUSE.🌹
- viviennerosediamon
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Why Tapping First Creates Intentions That Actually Stick
Before the lists.
Before the vision board.
Before the quiet (or not-so-quiet) promises to do better this year.
PAUSE.
Because while the mind is ready to begin again, the body remembers.
It remembers last year’s stress.
The moments you held it all together when you were already depleted.
The times you pushed through instead of pausing.
The ways you learned to override your own signals just to keep going.
And this is why so many New Year's intentions quietly fade by February.
They are set from the mind, while the nervous system is still on high alert.
🌹 At Rose Diamond Sparkles®, we begin with the body. ✨
The Body Is the Gatekeeper of Change
Trauma expert Dr Bessel van der Kolk (Dutch psychiatrist) names this truth simply:
"The body keeps the score."
— Dr Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score
Even when the mind says “I’m ready”, the body may still be holding unprocessed stress, disappointment, grief, or survival patterns from last year - or long before.
And when the body is still holding tension, no amount of goal-setting can override it.
🌹 This isn’t failure or weakness. It is wisdom.
Your nervous system is simply asking to be included in the conversation.
Why Willpower Alone Doesn’t Work
Van der Kolk expands on this beautifully when he reminds us:
"Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then;
it's the current imprint of that experience on mind, brain and body."
In other words, your body is responding to now through the lens of what it has lived through before.
So when you try to set intentions without first addressing what the body is still holding, those intentions can feel:
• heavy
• forced
• unsafe
• or strangely out of reach
This is why willpower alone so often fails.
Before expansion comes regulation.
Before intention comes safety.
Why Tapping (EFT) Comes First
Tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques) works with the body (nervous system), not against it.
By gently stimulating acupressure points while acknowledging what is present, the body receives signals of safety. Emotional residue - stress, pressure, self-protection - can begin to soften.
Only then do intentions land differently.
🌹 When the body feels safe, intentions are embodied - not forced.
Tapping Sequence: Releasing What the Body Is Holding
(Use this before setting any New Year intentions)
Step One: Tune In + Rate the Intensity (SUDS)
Find a quiet space where you can speak aloud without judgment. Bring your attention into your body and notice any tension, stress or emotional pressure you are carrying as you think about the year ahead. Now rate the intensity of this sensation on a scale from 0–10, where 10 is the highest level of discomfort.
There is no right number - only information. Simply notice where you land.
Tapping Sequence 1: Releasing Emotional Tension
Setup Statements
(Side of the Hand point)
Gently tap on the Side of the Hand (SOH) Point while repeating each statement aloud. Allow your awareness to stay with where this tension lives in your body.
"Even though my body is holding tension and I can feel where it is stuck, I choose to deeply and completely accept how I feel."
"Even though this stress has been sitting in me for a while, I choose to love and accept myself anyway."
"Even though part of me is tired of carrying this pressure, I honour myself for noticing it and I choose to deeply and completely love and accept myself."
Tapping Through the Points
Top of Head (TOH) Point:
Located on the crown of the head
o "All this tension in my body."
Eyebrow (EB) Point:
Located at the start of the eyebrow near the bridge of the nose.
o " This emotional pressure I keep holding."
Side of Eye (SE) Point:
Located at the outer corner of the eye.
o "It has lived here for too long."
Under Eye (UE) Point:
Located at the bone under the eye.
o " And it is asking for movement."
Under Nose (UN) Point:
Located between the nose and the upper lip.
o "I feel it."
Chin (CP) Point:
Located at the crease between the lower lip and the chin.
o "I acknowledge it."
Collarbone (CB) Point:
Located just below the collarbone.
o "I am giving it space."
Under Arm (UA) Point:
Located at the side of the body, about a hand’s width below the armpit.
o Letting the tension begin to loosen."
Take one slow, deep breath. Exhale gently.
Second Round - Softening
Top of Head (TOH) Point:
o "What if this could ease?"
Eyebrow (EB) Point:
o "Even a little."
Side of Eye (SE) Point:
o "Even just today."
Under Eye (UE) Point:
o "My body deserves softness."
Under Nose (UN) Point:
o "My body deserves release."
Chin (CP) Point:
o "I allow the tension to unwind."
Collarbone (CB) Point:
o "I allow emotional pressure to move."
Under the Arm (UA) Point:
o "I release what is ready to go."
Step Two: Re-Rate the Intensity
Now gently tune back into your body and rate the sensation again from 0–10. If your number is still above a 3, repeat the sequence once or twice more, adjusting the words to reflect what you are noticing now.
🌹 Follow the body. There is no rush.
Only Now… Set Your Intentions
From this softer, more regulated place, allow your intentions to arise.
Not from pressure.
Not from fear.
From alignment.
✨ Tap first. Intend second.
This year doesn’t need more discipline.
It needs safety.
Self-trust.
And the permission for your inner Rose to bloom and sparkle - gently, naturally, in its own way.
Like a Rose — rooted, supported and unfolding in its own perfect timing.
Ready for Gentle Support?
If you would like guidance to clear what your body is holding and set intentions that feel true - not forced - It would be an honour to guide you.
Rose Diamond Sparkles® sessions are held via Zoom and offer a calm, confidential space where your nervous system can soften, your body can lead and your next chapter can unfold with clarity and ease.
Book a session and begin the year grounded, regulated and open to receive. Your body already knows the way.
Tap, Bloom + Sparkle 🌹 ✨
Vivienne Rose Diamond
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