New Years Resolutions

This year, I choose me. It’s not a new year’s resolution as much as a new outlook. It’s not something I can succeed or fail at and not something to grade. It is not something to fear or avoid. I am walking through the forest of life, tripping over roots and slipping on fallen leaves and [...]

Reflection after a transition has become a ritual for me, particularly at the start of a new year. This celestially embedded moment of pause with its predictably measured 365-day-sized container feels friendly and familiar. This year though, this soul-meditation that’s often felt like a comfy, cozy, oversized-sweater has already been filled with grief. Last new [...]

My relationship with New Year’s resolutions is complicated, to say the least. I used to make one every year. When I was a kid, I made them because that was what I thought I was supposed to do. My parents encouraged me to make them, and from what I remember, they were usually your typical [...]

Most New Year’s resolutions fail, but yours don’t have to. Avoid these common pitfalls and you’ll set this year up for success in managing and improving your conditions. Pitfall: Too Many Things The more goals you set, the less likely you are to achieve any of them. You only have so much time and attention [...]

Much has been written about the issues with New Year’s resolutions. From toxic positivity to encouraging unrealistic expectations, there are many reasons to avoid them. I myself gave up on them because I am a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser, and giving myself just one more thing that I might not be able to accomplish [...]

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions. I can barely plan my day, let alone the whole year. And I’m also not big on making commitments I know I can’t or won’t keep. Instead, I remind myself of certain behaviors I think I (maybe) can accomplish and refer to the list as often as needed. [...]

It’s very difficult to realize that it’s almost 2022. And of course, with that comes the tradition of selecting a few—or maybe just one—New Years’s resolutions. As someone with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and a few other co-morbid conditions, thinking about how the next year will go seems a bit of an [...]

January is the time we encourage ourselves to set goals for the year ahead. Usually, that’s a very positive activity that gives us a chance to look forward with hope and savor the possibilities that lie ahead. But what seems like a natural exercise for many people might feel quite different for someone who lives [...]

It’s the end of the year, which means everyone, myself included, is writing about New Year’s resolutions, change and self-improvement. Sometimes this stuff can be motivating, inspiring even, but other times, it just feels like an open invitation for shame. That’s why we need to talk about how to love yourself, even as you try [...]

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore. For me, they always came from a dark place. They identified everything that was wrong with me, real or imagined. They stomped on my self-esteem. I was “fat” and “ugly” and needed to lose weight. I was lazy and listless without purpose. I needed to apply myself more strictly. [...]