In the past, I had always written down a list of tasks and specific goals that I wanted to accomplish in the New Year. Some examples of these resolutions were losing weight, working out more, eating healthy all the time, not feeling sad anymore, etc. I was so motivated on January 1st to fix all of my “problems” at once that I would completely ignore the process that went into creating permanent change.
After the month of January passed and I had run out of willpower to exercise every day, only eat salad, and ignore my unhappy emotions, I would fall into a slight depression because I was so upset with myself for not living up to the standards I had created. This only made me less willing to alter my behavior and, instead, had the opposite effect. After trying so hard to change everything about myself overnight, I would unwind and fall back into bad habits. This relapse would consistently happen to me about a month or two into the New Year but, every New Years, I still gave myself the same goals in the hopes that I could succeed in the face of several past failures.
However, this year I did not write down any strict New Year’s resolutions. By this, I mean that I did not give myself a certain number of pounds to lose or a certain number of miles to run every week. I did not tell myself that feeling sad was bad and that I should aim to feel happier in 2018. In fact, my perspective on myself and the world around me had changed so much in 2017 because of so many different life events and experiences that I found I did not have many of the same goals as I had had in the past.
Instead, I told myself that in 2018 I wanted to try to become the best version of myself. In 2018, I want to have a new outlook on the world, one that reflects how much I have changed and grown as a human being and one that reflects how much the world has changed (or refused to change, for that matter). I did not give myself a set list of tasks to help me achieve this goal because I feel that it becomes all too easy to become discouraged when you cannot complete a task and that is when the relapsing into bad habits begins again.
I already write in a journal pretty regularly, as it helps me make sense of my emotions and to better understand myself and those around me. This is a habit that I want to continue into the New Year, but I won’t tell myself it is something that I need to do every day. Instead, I tell myself that I will write in my journal whenever I am feeling confused or upset, whenever something really good or really bad happens to me. Documenting my life is something extremely important to me, whether that be through writing or taking pictures, I always want to be able to look back on my life when I am older.
So, I encourage you to go into the New Year with this perspective on resolutions. Do not set a list of tasks or goals for yourself to accomplish if you know that you will only become more discouraged by not completing all of them. Do not expect to completely change yourself overnight; that is extremely unrealistic and it is important to remember that good change takes time. Progress may not be visible day-to-day but I promise you that if you consistently and consciously work towards bettering yourself over a long period of time you will see results eventually. If you are looking for a quick fix to your eating habits, your mental health, or anything else, chances are there are none. Quick fixes are rarely the solution to any problem.
The change from 2017 to 2018 was as simple as going from Sunday to Monday. Go into this New Year with a positive outlook on life and on yourself; you are stronger and more capable than you think!
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