My 2021 New Year's Resolution

The waking fever dream that was 2020 is now in the rearview mirror. While I’m keeping tempered expectations heading into the new year, it’s difficult to imagine a year as difficult as last year was given that a new president and a vaccine are on the way. I hope to not regret that sentence. To make the year better instead of just hoping that it is, I’ve decided to do something I usually choose not to: Make a New Year’s resolution.

I’m not going to ruthlessly and relentlessly hold myself to some impossible standard in hopes to accomplish an outlandishly difficult goal in 2021. Instead, my resolution is a simple one: Self-care. This next year is extremely exciting, but also dauntingly overwhelming in some ways. I will soon graduate college and begin “real” adult life, continuing to work full-time and manage expenses on my own. To make that process less stressful and more sustainable, I am going to make an effort to practice different methods of self-care. These include getting enough sleep, taking breaks from work (both professional and school), doing fun things with loved ones, eating well, and not beating myself up for any shortcomings, which is a tendency of mine occasionally. I often treat myself much more harshly and abrasively than I do anyone else, which is something I would like to fix this year. While I know that this “resolution” can’t really be measured empirically, I will feel better viewing the changing of the calendar year as a reset on mental health and practicing good habits.

I’m not usually one to make or stick to New Year’s resolutions, but I feel good about this new approach. Instead of making a hyper-specific goal to accomplish, I’m adjusting my frame of mind to better take on the challenges I face day-to-day. Do you have a New Year’s resolution? If so, what? If not, why not? Thanks for reading.