Friendly Reminder: You Don’t Have to Set New Year’s Resolutions if You Don’t Want To
If you've been following Sprout’s weekly blog posts, you'll notice we've talked a fair amount about the holidays. Topics ranged from anxiety and food myths inspired by holiday eats to shutting down negative comments from family.
The point is, as you can tell from the subjects discussed, the holidays are a stressful time for many reasons. When most of us are still reeling from the stress and interruptions of the holidays, trying to gear up for life changes might be a little more than we can handle right now.
That’s okay! Let’s talk about some signs that you might want to rethink your resolutions:
You're Making Resolutions Because Everyone Else is
If the only thing inspiring you to set goals is the fact that everyone around you is, you might want to rethink things.
Social motivators are real and are important, but without any self-led drive or personal attachment, it’s not likely you’ll stick to your goals.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t commit to starting new habits with friends, like going to the gym together, but consider what you’ll get out of the experience. Do you want to get stronger? Have better endurance for walking long distances?
Take some time to think about whether or not you’re prepared to make resolutions and set new goals, or whether you want to wait until you’re on firmer ground.
You Aren't Actually Committed to What You're Saying
It seems that a lot of New Year's resolutions are things we “should” be doing. When we’re not passionate about or committed to our resolutions, we probably won’t get very far.
Regardless of what you or others think you “should” do, pick resolutions that you actually want to do. You don’t have to go crazy, and the things you want can still support the “shoulds.” Maybe you want to walk once a week or add more greens to your plate. These are awesome steps to take in the direction of bigger wellness resolutions. In addition, they might offer just the right amount of challenge to keep you motivated but not overwhelmed.
A lot of people push for a “go big or go home” attitude, but it’s okay to start small. Making achievable short-term goals is essential to reaching longer-term resolutions. For example, running a triathlon in six months may seem like an out-of-reach goal. However, adding an extra day of swimming or biking to your weekly exercise routine isn’t as grand. Yet, this step is a great way to get you to that triathlon!
You're Feeling Powerful and Optimistic Thanks to the New Year
This sounds harsh, but things don't magically change just because a new year hits. The obstacles we struggle with will still be there once the excitement of the new year clears. Feeling powerful and optimistic is great when it comes to setting goals, but remember to be realistic as well! Thinking you’ll be able to run a marathon in three months when you’re coming from a sedentary lifestyle is unlikely, but giving yourself a more realistic timeline makes it achievable!
Celebrating the New Year left me feeling pretty invincible, but I’m more worried about getting back to my pre-holiday routine than trying to incorporate new goals before I’m ready.
What We Can do Instead: Helpful Practices to Welcome the New Year
If we aren’t going to set and start goals, then what? Doing nothing feels underwhelming, so let’s talk about other ways to welcome the new year!
Celebrate your successes from last year. From the little wins to the big ones, you deserve to be celebrated! Honor yourself and the hard work you’ve done.
Observe and reflect on the things you did and the choices you made in the prior year. Looking back at our past actions can help us think about what we actually want to do and accomplish in the future.
Though the year has changed, we’re still in a season of rest, hibernation, and reflection. Now is a great time to think about how the last year went and the changes you want to make, but it’s okay to wait on implementing these changes.
Personally, I’m taking time to think about:
2022 as a whole (wow, what a year!)
The goals I set and met
What helped me accomplish these goals
The goals I didn’t meat
What kept me from reaching these resolutions
How I’m feeling physically and emotionally versus how I want to feel
There’s a lot of inner work that can be done in preparation for creating thoughtful, intentional, and achievable goals when you’re ready.
None of These Factors Mean You Can’t Set Goals
The purpose of this post isn’t to make you feel like you shouldn’t be setting goals now. Instead, it’s more to offer comfort to people who don’t feel ready or who already feel like they’re failing their resolutions.
If you’re somewhere between still getting back into your regular groove and wanting to make changes, think about starting with intentions! Intentions focus on how you feel and can create a great stepping stone to making goals you’re confident and excited about.
If you’re feeling motivated to make changes now, go for it! Just remember to create specific, reasonable goals that you can actually measure and achieve. If you need help with goal setting, don’t hesitate to reach out! I would love to work with you to create goals that you feel good about. Email me or fill out the contact form on my website!