Resolution or trend?
New Year’s Resolutions are out, constant self-improvement is in.
It is futile to attempt to better yourself once a year, especially considering most resolutions fail anyway: I, myself failed Veganuary on day five this year. However, in attempting Veganuary it made me consider why I decided to take up resolution in the first place. I have never wanted to be a vegan, and I would not have considered trying the diet lest for the New Years trend. Eventually, all I did was waste several days eating food I did not like, for no apparent reason. Besides, if I wanted to be a vegan, there was nothing stopping me from making that decision any other day of the year.
But this got me thinking of other January challenges that are labelled “resolutions”.
Take dry January. Dry January isn’t a bad thing, and I am very pro-drink self-awareness, however, I’m not going to give up a month of it for the sake of a trend. I’d rather be self-aware all year around and attempt to cut down permanently. To me, a resolution to stop drinking for an entire month is unsustainable, but setting long-term goals is not, as ‘failing’ once isn’t dooming.
The idea of a ‘new you’ is not something that needs to be saved for only the first of 365 days. New Year’s Resolutions are pointless if there’s no attempt to self-improve every other day. Ensuring you are the best version of yourself is a constant uphill battle and is definitely more difficult than making a resolution, however, it is more rewarding in the long term.
Words by Cameron Wagg (@camwg7)
Not at this time of year
The idea of ‘new year new me’ has never exactly sat right with me. I think we all love the idea of bettering ourselves and turning the page on a new calendar not marked by mistakes of the previous year but, is this realistic? Do we really need to be setting these often impractical and pressure inducing goals in January of all months?
Admittedly, I am a summer person, who is happiest in the sunshine, so I may be biased, but can we not all agree Britsh January is not nice? The weather has firmly moved past the point of crisp autumnal days, the trees have shifted to a sludgy grey and the excitement of Christmas is well and truly over.
This is not the time of year that I would be suddenly inspired to cut down on sugar or stop watching reality TV, these are things I need to persevere through the winter months and darkening evenings. The idea of denying yourself joys when nature is already denying you sunlight just seems doubly unfair. The whole premise of strictly cutting out things that bring you joy seems counterproductive. Strict limitations increase stresses already felt with starting a new year.
Each year fluctuates through highs and lows, and you should allow your behaviour to reflect and respond to that as needed. The highs can be taken full advantage of when wanting to be the shiny ‘new you’, and during the lows or even normalcy of everyday life the best version of yourself is more than ok. Maybe the ‘old you’ who just wants to lie in bed watching Real Housewives with a bag of Maltesers is not so bad and might be exactly what’s needed.
Words by Orla Duncan
A bite-sized resolution
There can be a lot of pressure put on ourselves when new year’s resolutions come around, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by becoming the greatest version of yourself. However, I think the idea of resolutions can be simplified into bite-sized goals, which can be applicable to all aspects in life.
At the start of this year, I was inspired to choose a word which would define how I wanted my year to look like and how I wanted to be, no matter what challenges were thrown my way – and believe me, many challenges were thrown.
I chose the word ‘brave’ because I wanted to work on my courage, and not be afraid of new opportunities so that I could open myself up to them. I knew this was the year where I would be experiencing many milestones, like turning 18 and starting university.
Little did I know how brave I had to be when some unexpected tribulations came my way. However, because I had established this mindset at the beginning of the year, the way I approached these issues was from a place of understanding, and it reminded me that what is meant for me, will come to me.
Now that 2024 is coming to a close, I’m in a place in my life where I feel I have learnt a lot about myself. I allowed myself to be free of insecurity and open to new people and experiences. I hope you choose a word to define your new year to help you envision what you want it to look like and how you can become the best possible version of yourself.
Words by Ola Rzeszut (@olarzeszut)
Resolutions aren’t over yet
Who doesn’t love a new year’s resolution? There is something exciting about making plans for the new year and leaving the past behind. It gives us something to look forward to. However, despite all the excitement for the next year, the sad reality is that the second Friday of January has been coined ‘Quitter’s Day’. The day most people give up on their resolutions, probably because they do not see results quick enough.
I’ve made resolutions for at least the past decade. Nearly every year, they would revolve around losing weight and getting fitter. When I attempted to be more open, I’d resolve to be happier or to be more disciplined. Yet, as my motivation waned, so did my efforts, until I went right back to old habits – not all surprising considering I am a person with ADHD who gives up on most things if my motivation does not stick.
But regardless, all these resolutions lead me to berating myself for not persevering with them, and I would stare at my reflection, seeing all the flaws I wished I had left in the previous year. All the bad choices were evidence that I was not disciplined enough, which ultimately filtered into the rest of my life.
So, I decided to change my thinking. I decided I didn’t need a trivial resolution to make changes, and instead, needed to make long-term lifestyle changes that made me feel better in myself. Therefore, 2024 was the year I learned that no food is inherently bad, and that exercise has more benefits than weight loss. So, if I had to set a resolution for 2025, it would be to continue being me and exploring what that means at any point in time.
Words by Megan Ingram-Jones (@meganxingram)
Photo credits to Tim Mossholder via Unsplash. No changes have been made to the image. Image license can be found here.