I always grew up with the old ‘new year, new you’ pressure and I tried to do so many different things that just ended up with me feeling like a failure.
I think if you want to make a big change in your life, why wait?
One of the biggest problems trying to motivate myself I find is timing, if I tell myself “Okay, after this episode I will wash the dishes.” Then I know those dishes ain’t being washed till at least 5 episodes later.
But if I without thinking quickly turn the TV off, I’m more likely to go do the dishes there and then.
It’s the same in life, if you want to make a change or want to start something new, there’s nothing stopping you; but the most important thing to do is not put pressure on yourself if you don’t continue it or realise it’s not for you.
I think that’s one of the biggest things with new year resolutions; when you announce them and set your heart on them and then don’t succeed, or want to continue, it sets off your new year with the feeling that you’re not good enough or you’ve failed.
And that’s just not true, it isn’t about starting the piano and forcing yourself to sit down and play until you can’t stand the sight of the keyboard, it’s about exploring new avenues and seeing which ones fit, rather like clothes shopping: finding something that you truly feel yourself in.
I don’t think that you should limit yourself to one resolution at the start of the year and put all your eggs in one basket, which is almost like you’re ready to fail all at once. Use new year as a starting point if it helps sure, but don’t limit yourself; use New Year but also use the whole year to go out and try so many new different things that excite you, scare you and give you anxiety.
If you think about the origin of NY resolutions it was about small vows and paying small debts which could be as little as waving to a stranger or helping someone with their shopping.
Along the way we have lost the true meaning of a new year resolution and added all this pressure onto ourselves, I invite you to use this new year to do what you want to do, be kind to a stranger, help your loved ones where you can.
If you think about the origin of NY resolutions it was about small vows and paying small debts which could be as little as waving to a stranger or helping someone with their shopping.
Don’t let the idea of not being good enough or feeling like a failure follow you into your 2024. And don’t use your new year resolution to act on any noise from your eating disorder that you aren’t small enough or you need to eat less: just because you may be on holiday doesn’t mean your eating disorder is.
Use 2024 to be the best version of yourself that you can be right now and remember it’s better to try it and fail than to always wonder ‘what if’.