For many of us, the start of a new year represents fresh hopes, new beginnings and the opportunity for change. Since ancient times, we have welcomed in the new year with rituals. Modern psychology suggests that these ordered activities are a way of countering the powerlessness we may experience at a time when we are faced with the start of another 12 months of the unknown. Tapping into our survival mode, we make resolutions to take charge and keep ourselves ‘safe’. I see this reflected in my clinic, too, in a world that moves at such speed, more of us are seeking ways to hold on to control through extreme exercise routines or rigid eating patterns.