Ah, New Year’s Resolutions. It isn’t uncommon for “resolution” to become a buzzword when January hits, and even into February. It’s also not unusual for these “resolutions” to be set around changing our bodies and losing weight. I remember seeing headlines in December and January reading, “The Best New Diet!” and “Best Workout to Shed Pounds!” with little to no reputable backing for whatever the “best” new tactic is. Not to mention the latest lists of no-go foods and pictures of “Before’s” that don’t even have the same face as the “After” model.
Despite what social media may tell you, it’s okay NOT to want your body to change. Is it great to take care of your body and treat it kindly? Of course! That doesn’t mean that you have to change your body or make it smaller, though. This year, I chose not to focus on weight loss, but instead on general wellness. Below are some goals that I was focusing on in an attempt to become more holistically well, none of which are aimed at weight loss.
- Less Screen Time
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It is so easy to get lost in our phones, especially when most (if not all) of this semester’s classes are online. I’ve set a daily limit for screen time on my social media apps in an attempt to spend more time in the present and less time on my phone. Some days go better than others, but I did notice a decent decrease in the screen time that my iPhone was alerting me to each Sunday. I’ve noticed this to be especially beneficial when it comes to using my phone or laptop before bed. On nights where I make an effort to stay off my phone or computer before going to sleep, I tend to stay asleep throughout the night more than I do when I’m scrolling through TikTok for three hours before bed.
- Move Your Body Joyfully
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Despite what influencers (or your mom’s women magazines) may tell you, there is no “correct” way to move your body. If you like lifting weights, great! If lifting isn’t your thing and you like to dance, also great! Maybe neither of those sound appealing to you and your ideal form of exercise is taking a walk in the park. That is also fantastic. I decided to have a friend of mine send me the workout plans she creates and absolutely loved it! Since recovering from my eating disorder, I’ve learned that cardio isn’t really my thing and that I’d much rather do resistance training. That being said, if my body doesn’t want to work out that day or wants something different then I try to listen to it.
- Try and Eat More Intuitively
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Some of you may doubt what I’m about to write, but your body is so much smarter than you are. When these New Year’s diets cut out major food groups or have you eat barely one meal a day, you’re setting yourself up for failure. By eating intuitively, I mean listening to my body’s hunger signals; eating the food my body craves (even if it’s a donut); tuning into my body to see what foods make me feel good, and which make me feel not so good. Intuitive Eating is something I’ve been learning about since starting recovery two years ago, but I felt like this last semester was when I truly began practicing it to the best of my ability. This also means trying to incorporate more balance into my daily meals, but also being gentle with myself when I can’t.
- Make Time for Your Friends
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It’s so important to make sure you’re seeing those you care about and spending time with them. Although COVID makes that a bit hard, I’ve been making an effort to try and find time to either see my friends in a socially-distanced way or make time to call or FaceTime them. I was noticing that I was isolating myself at times and prioritizing only my romantic relationship, but it’s important to me to be prioritizing my friendships as well. It brings me joy to see them, and so it’s important that I make time for them too and not just school and my boyfriend.
- Practicing Self-Love
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This is one that I’m still really not very good at, but I’m continually trying to get better. Self-Love doesn’t always mean truly loving every part of yourself all of the time. It’s a practice that takes continual work, and some days will be better than others and that’s okay. I’ve been really trying to invest my time into things that make me happy and also dressing in ways that make me feel confident in my skin. This has included playing my guitar more, getting a nose piercing, shaving the other side of my head, and buying yellow plaid plants that pair perfectly with a new black tank top. Even on days where I don’t love my body or don’t think I’m where I should be, I try and remind myself that I’m doing the best that I can and that even if my head doesn’t think so, I am a beautiful person inside and out.
The truth is, the best kind of New Year’s goals are whatever will leave you feeling your best, both mentally and physically. For me, this involved mostly mental things with some gentle nutritional and movement-related goals. Maybe these won’t be applicable to you, or maybe you needed someone to finally tell you that it’s okay to not want what every social media influencer seems to be pushing. Only you know what is truly best for you; no influencer, magazine, or blog can tell you that.