This year, as the clock struck twelve, I was confounded by the fact that I simply could not muster up the energy to feel hope or think of new goals to accomplish in the upcoming 365 days. It was the first time I couldn’t get myself to truly care that time had passed and that I had made it through another year. While this may sound depressing to some, I feel like this is progress, progress to slowly not rely on a new year to try new things.
I have been a victim of unrealistic new year’s resolutions one too many times. I can’t even count on both of my hands the number of times I have made the unspoken promise to myself to start going to the gym or eat healthier. The cycle of hope, laziness and then disappointment is a common experience, I am sure of it. So, this year, I am attempting to mindfully make goals that are very, very realistic, to the point where they might sound underwhelming or even mundane to some.
The path to change is different for everyone, and while I’m sure some have the discipline to make and maintain new habits, I am not. I think this is something that will be healthy and helpful for me. So, without further ado, here are my attainable new year’s resolutions.
1. Take more pictures
This year, I want to encourage myself to pull out my phone and take photos more often. The pandemic has cursed us with days that sometimes blend together to form unremarkable weeks or even months. This year, I want to challenge myself to break out of that and remember more of each day.
2. Read more books
To some, this may be an often recycled “unrealistic” resolution, but over the last two years I have really grown to love reading. In 2021, I read 43 books (short stories included), and I would love to maintain that or perhaps even read more books than last year. It is a habit that is truly as beneficial and calming as everyone claims it is, and I hope I can reap those benefits in 2022.
3. Go on more walks
I think walks are actually very underrated. They give you time to reflect, listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks, people-watch and be outside all while keeping you moving and getting some steps in. In 2022, instead of losing myself in my thoughts and getting nothing accomplished, I hope to go on walks to help clear my mind.
4. Write more and write more often
I usually keep a journal or notebook with me at all times in case I ever want to jot anything down, but over the last few months, I have been slacking off more and more. Journaling was a habit I had and kept up with for a long time and I hope to get back to it this year as I felt it made my daily life feel more memorable. It allowed me to have spurts of creativity at inconvenient times and allowed me to revisit interesting thoughts I had had during uninteresting days.
But writing more does not just entail journaling for me, I want to write more of everything. I want to write more in my free time so that I have pieces of my own writing that are not born out of deadlines or academic assignments. I want to continue writing reviews for films (as I already do). I want to write more poetry. I want to write more out of sheer creativity than I have in the past.
5. Start going to bed earlier
And finally, I hope to improve my health by having a healthier sleep schedule. Thankfully, I have not done irreparable damage to my sleep schedule, unlike some. However, I do want to get better at being consistent with when I go to bed. I often stay up listening to music, or scrolling through Instagram, only to see that its 12:30 in the morning, and although this doesn’t happen every night, it happens a little too often for my liking. I know that sleep affects many elements of my health and getting to bed on time could in turn get the ball rolling for any other health related resolutions I want to make. I think it will be a doable and rewarding first step to take.
