Refresh and Renew: A Bold Approach to New Year’s Resolutions

Do You Dread the End of Each Year?

Do you ever find yourself dreading the end of the year? Perhaps you feel disappointed after reflecting on your past year, realizing you didn’t accomplish everything you had hoped for. If this resonates with you, it might be time to adopt a fresh perspective on your New Year’s resolutions. In this blog, we will explore the concept of setting resolutions while offering a different take on them. I’m sharing my story to provide encouragement and compassion to those who grapple with year-end reflections.

Every year, as the calendar turned, I found myself feeling let down. Once again, I hadn’t stuck to my New Year’s resolutions. With good intentions, I would promise myself improvements across various areas of my life: health, wellness, relationships, finances, and personal growth. I would become excited about joining a gym, cooking more, or practicing mindfulness. Yet, just two or three months in, feelings of tiredness, anxiety, or genuine laziness would creep in, and those wonderful habits would fall by the wayside. It got me thinking: maybe we're approaching this all wrong. What if there’s a different way to embrace New Year’s resolutions?

Alternatives to Setting New Year’s Resolutions

• Start Now: Could you wait until the new year to start something new?

• Reflect Positively: Instead of dwelling on missed opportunities, focus on your achievements. What did you accomplish or feel good about this year?

• Create a 'To-Don't' List: Write down things you want to stop doing.

• Practice Daily Gratitude: Cultivating gratitude can shift your perspective.

• Set Monthly Challenges: Keep things fresh and engaging.

• Schedule "Staycations" or Mental Health Days: Prioritize your well-being.

• Craft a Life Motto: Define how you want to live your life.

• Choose a Word of the Year: My personal trainer and nutritionist taught me to select a word that embodies how I wish to approach the upcoming year.

Building Mastery for the New Year

Focusing on micro-steps toward our goals makes them feel more achievable. In psychology, we refer to this as “building mastery.” The concept is about establishing smaller goals to reduce feelings of overwhelm. I reflected on how I intuitively practiced this during my math classes when I was younger. Math was always a challenging subject for me, and I often felt defeated when faced with difficult problems. To boost my confidence, I started working on what I perceived as “easier” problems first. With each small victory, I found the courage to tackle the tougher challenges.

Parts of Life

My individual therapist introduced me to the beautiful concept of closing chapters in life and opening new ones. If there are parts of yourself you miss, why not try to resurrect them? For the painful experiences of years past, please focus on learning the lessons they taught, then close those chapters. There’s no need to dwell on what cannot be changed. I’ve discovered that once I learned to close certain chapters, it paved the way for new beginnings filled with hope. As we close out another year, I hope this blog offers you a more hopeful outlook for the New Year.

If this message resonates with you, please know you are not alone. At Like a Phoenix, our team is dedicated to providing compassion and support. We use evidence-based clinical approaches to meet your needs and help you overcome the challenges you face.

Maria Peters, LMHC