By Sara Fabek Zovko
Forming new habits without overwhelming pressure.
“New Year, new me!” has been a cliché for as long as most can remember. As the clock strikes midnight, we begin to think about how to make the coming year better than the one that’s just passed. Whether it’s consistency in the gym, a healthier diet, less shopping, or being better with money, New Year’s resolutions seem to pile on whilst we try to get used to writing the right year down in the date.
Although resolutions can be positive and can truly help people build consistency with time, more often than not they come with an overwhelming amount of pressure. Whether the resolutions are followed through or not, there is a lingering burden that comes along with promising to do something for an entire year, and a disappointment and guilt that fills us if we don’t quite manage.
In an attempt to avoid the negative feelings that cling to New Year’s resolutions (and the failure to keep them), I have decided to start 2024 off with some baby steps I’ll be trying to implement throughout the year. What exactly does this mean, and how is it different from resolutions?
Here’s an example: instead of vowing to stop smoking, I will stop smoking at home. Instead of promising to read 10 hours a week, I’ll read on my commute. Rather than attempting a 5-mile run in the mornings, I’ll stretch and take my vitamins. These baby steps are accompanied by an ambition to stay consistent in my already established routines, like my skincare routine and going to the gym.
It has barely been a week of 2024, and thinking like this has already taken the pressure off; not having time to read every day doesn’t seem as bad knowing I have 40 minutes on the train to make up for it, and waking up in the morning isn’t as stressful with a simplified routine. The stress of a new year and feeling like we have to change everything in the next 52 weeks can be too much. It can be discouraging and overwhelming in a way that makes us feel like we can’t do anything at all. A fresh start isn’t as exciting when it feels like an obligation.
So, in hopes of managing to carry my baby steps through the entire year and also not feeling like the world will come crashing down if I miss a workout, here’s to taking baby steps in 2024.
Comentarios