Every year in January, we all set out to create new versions of ourselves. We are so motivated by the fresh start that anything seems possible. We also want to keep up with everyone around us making positive changes to their lives.
It almost feels like a rebirth.
We get new planners and start writing out the process of eliminating the bad habits and setting the new ones. As January starts to proceed, we are off to a great start.
Then February comes and we might take Fridays off from the new resolution. March comes and, you know what? I need some reward for my hard work, so I’ll take Fridays and Saturdays off from this resolution.
Let’s be real, by the time summer weather is here, we have forsaken the resolution and now joke about it with our family and friends.
However, there is a small part of us that judges and beats ourselves up about not being able to continue the new, healthy habit. We wanted it to work, we wanted to feel better about ourselves but we just didn’t have the drive or motivation to continue doing so. After setting what was to be a positive change to our life, we end up beating ourselves up about not being able to make the change completely. New Year’s resolution turns into a mental health situation.
After the year 2020 I can certainly say that we all need to give ourselves a pat on the back for making it through! It was one of the hardest mental health years us humans have ever gone through in our lifetime.
So as the year is coming to a close and we are reaching the New Year, instead of setting the typical New Year’s resolution, I am making a new tradition. This year I am going to focus on just being grateful.
As a society, it feels as though we always have something we need, something we have to work towards, something to keep our minds off the present. In doing so, we’ve created this anxious/depressed society that can’t see the benefits of being in the present and being grateful for the simplest of things. Our minds are always going! So, I’d like to take a step back and focus on what each day brings that I can be grateful for.
Whether it’s a wonderful meal I prepared, a call from an old friend or a stranger doing something kind. It can be as small as, “I woke up today and I have my health.”
There are so many moments in each day to cherish and be grateful for. I have a book that was gifted to me that asks me to write something I am grateful for for each day in a whole year. I will be doing so for my 2021 and I can’t wait to look back and remember the small moments that brought me happiness!
So, however you decide to start off your 2021, remember, it’s not about becoming the better version of you. It can be about appreciating who you currently are, how far you’ve come and loving exactly who you are today!
Blog by Mallorie