With every holiday season, we (quite literally) countdown the seconds until we ring in a new year and leave the old behind us. Of all the customs that come with this holiday, one that seems to stay the same is New Year’s resolutions. They’re the little things we tell ourselves year after year, to improve, lose, gain, or grow…and yet somehow come January, they seem to escape our minds completely. What is it about starting a new year that makes us want to change things about ourselves? Is it really from you, or from the ads we see that tell us to “lose fifteen pounds for our best year ever!” Changing what we know about resolutions can bring new meaning to the holiday, and help us navigate what we really want in 2022.
The idea surrounding resolutions isn’t all bad, it’s important to look for ways we can better ourselves or get out of our comfort zone to try new things. But with New Year’s Eve, there is this pressure to make fast, temporary resolutions that will only leave us feeling worse when we don’t fulfill them within our strict timeline of a year. Having goals in place of resolutions creates flexibility in being able to work towards achieving them. Then, in turn, we can be much more forgiving of ourselves. Turning resolutions into goals can mean the difference between vague, unrealistic goals such as trying to “get in shape” versus taking little steps in our everyday lives. Changing our perspective on resolutions can change our overall attitude about the new year, making it a time of celebration and success instead of constantly looking for areas to improve.
New Year’s Eve is about reflection, and for the last three years, we have had a lot to reflect on. This year, ditch the resolutions that add stress to the holiday and start off 2022 however you choose whether it’s alone, with friends, or with family. And who knows, maybe the new tradition of new year’s resolutions will be to not make any at all.