The four most insufferable words arrive as soon as Jan. 1 hits every year: “New year, new me.” I would be lying if I told you I’ve never said those words to hold myself accountable for my New Year’s resolutions. I think these resolutions are an excellent way to better ourselves, but holding ourselves to such high standards creates pressure on our shoulders that shouldn’t be there. When these resolutions aren’t completed, there is a feeling of absolute failure, as if nothing has been accomplished, so I decided to change my perspective. Instead of letting my resolutions control me, I gave them less power and created goals for myself rather than completely changing myself, because I think I’m a pretty good person.
My New Year’s goal consists of one thing: prioritizing my well-being. For the longest time, I felt it was selfish to prioritize myself before others, but I’m changing my mindset this year. With that, I decided to sign up for a gym near my house and get to work on my physical health. Before this year, I wasn’t someone who consistently worked out, and part of that was due to the gym I used to go to. There were just too many people I knew who went to that gym, and I never fully felt comfortable because I felt everyone around me was judging me (but let’s face it, no one cared). My new gym feels more inclusive, with people of all ages working out without judgment. I’ve noticed that my physical health is directly correlated to my mental health, so I’ve made an effort to be consistent with working out, and in turn, my mental health has been significantly better than it was a year ago. I try not to pressure myself to go every day because, for me, it’s about bettering my mental health rather than seeing physical changes in my body. Even though it’s only been a few weeks, I feel so much better about myself in multiple ways. I have found a new love for working out because it has become a way to help my mental health rather than change my appearance.
In prioritizing my well-being, I’ve also decided to say, “No” more often to things I genuinely don’t want to do. Many people may say this is the year of saying yes, but absolutely not for me. That may sound mean, but I would rather be content in my bed watching a movie than being out at bars when I don’t really want to be there. I love spending time with myself and doing activities I want to do instead of doing things other people want just because I think I’ll have FOMO (fear of missing out). I need to remember that my body and mind need a break from all of that, so prioritizing what I want in lieu of making others happy is a goal of mine. I started picking up new hobbies, such as writing, reading more, and continuing with my Letterboxd obsession by documenting every movie I watch. I’m thinking of crocheting, but I’ll get back to you on that. It’s not worth it to burn myself out or stretch myself thin to please others.
Focusing on myself is all I can ask for this year, and I think I’m doing a pretty decent job at it. My well-being is most important to me, and I want to do whatever I can to help myself grow and improve. Last year, I burned myself out, had low mental health, and wasn’t making myself my priority, but I’m slowly changing that this year. Throughout this year, I’m going to try new things as a way to prioritize myself, and I can’t wait. 2024 is about me, and that’s not selfish.