As we have just entered 2021, I thought to myself "what could be a more relevant first blog post than talking about New Year's Resolutions?
So, let me bring your attention to something. How many times have you come up with a strict New Year's Resolution that involves doing something (or not doing something) every single day of January, or even the whole year? Whilst doing this with the right intention can be a great start, I can unfortunately assure you it hardly every works. Every year, I watch people make their New Year's Resolutions on a high, only to 'fail' several days later. I myself have done this countless times. At the end of each year I would find myself a fun January exercise challenge online, tell myself I'd limit my screen time to a certain amount every day, eat healthy, read before bed every night... and every year I'd end up feeling disheartened and disappointed when I couldn't keep it up. I'd miss one day and feel like I'd failed, so in the end I gave up even thinking of New Year's Resolutions altogether.
Until this year. After a year of being cooped up indoors and having the time and space I actually felt like I had needed for so long, I began to focus on myself. I realised how important it is to have a healthy mindset and how much more you can achieve simply by improving your mental health alone. But I knew that realistically, it takes time, and every change you make is a small step to having a healthier mind. It is a gradual process, and that's why this year my New Year's 'Resolutions' are actually New Year's 'Practices'. This year, I'm allowing myself the whole year to make the changes I want to make, rather than having high expectations and putting this extra pressure on myself that I don't need. I believe the beginning of a New Year should be thought of as a catalyst to these practices, rather than the starting line of a race to achieve certain goals. It should motivate people to want to improve their lives rather than increasing their stress levels. Which is why I'm encouraging everyone to reconsider their Resolutions, and perhaps turn them into Practices. After all we have been through in 2020, let's give ourselves a break and be realistic in setting healthy goals!
Now, if you're anything like me and you find it hard to get motivated into changing your old habits, I know what you may be thinking. "If I couldn't keep up with my New Year's Resolutions in the first place, how will I achieve anything if I don't push myself to do them?" Well, that's exactly my point. By making them practices, you are motivating yourself to make improvements to your lifestyle whilst giving yourself the time and space you need to turn your Resolutions into new, healthier habits. Every little thing helps, and if you miss a day or two, so what? Try not to blame yourself for things you can't necessarily control. Have a break, maybe your body needs it. Save up your energy to try again the next day. As long as you remain realistic, determined, and give yourself the resources you need to be successful in your Practices, what's stopping you?
It may be slightly too late for me to be giving you any ideas (that's me procrastinating as always!), but to bring my first blog post to an end, I would like to invite everyone to have a think about their New Year's Resolutions. What would you like to achieve this year and what measures are you going to put into place to make this achievable? Remember the reasons you are making these Resolutions in the first place, and try not to be so hard on yourself!
Thank you for reading - if you enjoyed this post, subscribe down below or even share with someone you think may benefit from it! Wishing everyone a happy and healthy start to 2021,
- Zoe