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leahparkercounselling

New Year, New....?


I saw this image on my Instagram and it immediately hit home. How many New Year's resolutions have I set and not kept. I have read that 12th January is the day by which most New Year's Resolutions fail! This got me thinking if actually New Year's Resolutions are a good thing or if they could actually highlight our failings and make us feel worse.


Don't get me wrong, I am all for having goals. Goals are vital for our mental wellbeing, and achieving goals is good for self-esteem and for self-care. It is the way in which New Year's Resolutions are so date-led and how we feel so bad if we do not achieve them that I struggle with. All I have heard so far this year is people failing at dry January or struggling with veganary. I do not have a problem with a New Year giving people the drive to implement or change some things which they feel need addressing in their lives, but putting all of these changes into a month which in itself can be quite a slow, dark, cold month just feels as though it could add to negative feelings which may already be there.


What would be better I hear you ask? Well, as I said, there is nothing wrong in setting goals, but perhaps more achievable goals. 'I would like to take more time for myself this year', 'I would like to talk more this year', 'I would like to make more time for exercise and eating more healthily.' These all feel like much more achievable and less pressured goals. As I said, I feel as though the date implication and setting them right at the beginning of the year could lead to feelings of disappointment and failure before the year has properly begun.


Any way that we can lessen the pressure and anxiety that we can put on ourselves feels positive to me. Let us just focus on making this New Year one in which we talk more and where we put our emotional and mental health first. We are the most important people to us and to those around us and we need to make sure that we are looking after ourselves as best we can.


Happy New Year to you all :-) xxx

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