A Different Kind of New Year’s Resolution

Every year we make the same types of resolutions: I want to lose weight, I want to save money, I want to train for a marathon, etc. While these are good resolutions, they are often hard resolutions, and they are often led by what other people think of us—not what we think of ourselves or what our bodies need. It’s been a very long year, and 2020 before it was no different. So, this year, we suggest a different kind of new year’s resolution: be gentle with yourself.

Perhaps this looks like asking what you need to be happy. Have you been exhausted and burnt out at work? Are you feeling unfulfilled? Do you want to get more connected to nature? To your family? To your friends? More active in your community? There’s no right or wrong answer, but these resolutions often look like things you’re going to let go of rather than things you’re going to change.

For example, if you find yourself making resolutions about dieting, maybe a more honest, more achievable resolution is that you want to cook more foods at home, from scratch, that provide the nutrients your body needs to feel healthy. Rather than make a resolution to work out for an hour 7 days a week, you might say that you want to go on a long walk after work every night to clear your head and exercise your body.

If you find yourself burnt out at work, maybe it’s time to ask what you can do better to make yourself happier. Can you speak with your boss about redistributing assignments? Can you set a boundary that you do not look at your work email outside of work hours?

If you find yourself burnt out in your relationships, maybe you make a commitment to couple’s therapy, or weekly date nights where you do something active and new together—without your phones. Maybe you decide to have a biweekly phone call with a long-distance friend you don’t talk to often, or you set a weekly family game night that nothing can interfere with.

If you find yourself burnt out with life in general, that’s okay too. Most people are—the COVID-19 pandemic has worn on all of us for nearly two years. A good resolution might include seeking therapy, practicing meditation, picking up a new hobby, quitting something that makes you unhappy or adds stress to your life, or reading more self-help books.

This year, we really encourage you to make resolutions that will improve your life for the better, and that means getting rid of the things that don’t serve you and finding things that do. We all move a little too quickly and slowing down will improve your life for the better.

Happy New Year from Orsinger Investment Group, Inc!