TLDR: I’m working on making lifelong habits that help me all year long and not just set me up for success for the first part of the year! Life is continuous. It doesn’t start over each year and my goals in life are continuous and not set to a specific timeline or new year.
Note the fact that I didn’t even post this at the beginning of the new year, we’re 1 month in already!
Today we are talking about 2023! It’s always so hard to believe that another year has come and gone and we are onto the next. I don’t know if this is everywhere, or if everybody feels this way, but for me, in New England, it feels like January-April drag on because of the cold and dreary weather. April-June feel pretty normal and hopeful as things start to get warmer and greener and nicer again. June-September FLY BY - it’s always like the summer just is gone before it is even starting. October-December are a total blur with everything that is always going on. So we are at the point where everything is a blur and we are about to start a new year again.
With a new year, for many people, comes new year’s resolutions. If having resolutions is your thing and you have found that it is what works for you, then all the more power to you! I have found over the years though, that they just frustrate me. I feel like when I make a resolution, I kind of just forget about for a while, and then when I finally remember it, I’m “behind” from where I “should be” or “expected” myself to be. Then it starts to feel like a failure. Which then just turns into a whole mental mess for me. Anybody else?
So what I have been doing these past couple of years, is recognizing the fact that the beginning of the year, middle of the year, and end of the year, are all the same in terms of the goals I have. My overall goal is always to be the happiest and healthiest version of myself. That goes for both mental and physical health. It has taken time to figure out what that looks like for me, and it’s still a daily learning process for me. But by focusing on the things that I know help me to feel better about myself, make me feel healthier and like the best version of myself, and doing the things that I enjoy, I get myself out of the cycle of trying to set one specific resolution and then forgetting about it partway through the year and then waiting until the following new year to start again or try again.
Why do we have to wait until the new year to start working towards the things that we want? We don’t. If you do set a resolution and you don’t reach your goals that you set, when you thought you would, you have not failed. We are all works in progress. Setting yourself smaller goals and tasks each day and week throughout the year to get that consistency is more likely to turn into a healthy habit for you, vs. just trying to set the resolution and work towards it when you remember.
As an example, for me, setting aside time each day for meditation/time with my Faith; eating what fuels my body the best without aggravating my allergies and blood sugar; moving in some fashion at least 4 times per week, are all things that I have worked into my routine to help me to work towards feeling my best consistently. I am not perfect at it ever, and that’s okay. You don’t have to be. Having these daily and weekly plans for myself helps me to think about the things that I want throughout the year consistently though. It helps me to prioritize myself all year long, not just the beginning of each year.
Are you somebody who has found a way to make resolutions work for you? Or have you found something else that works better for you and the things that are important to you?
If you have any questions or need help with an injury or pain, email me today at livewithoutlimitspt@gmail.com and give us a follow on Instagram.com/livewithoutlimitspt .
Thanks for being here!
Dr. Katie
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