The pressure placed on you to enter the new year as a thinner, prettier, wealthier, more zen, and goal-oriented person can feel overwhelming. It should be the time to focus on the blessing of making it to a new year. Unfortunately, our society has branded it as a time to rip ourselves apart and set high-stakes resolutions.
When you focus less on celebrating life and more on high-pressure goals, you miss out on the milestone's beauty. It's possible to ease into the new year by celebrating the amazing person you already are instead of finding all the ways you're less than perfect.
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This mindset can be challenging to adopt with all the messages you're surrounded by from the media, friends, and family, so we're here to help. Below you'll find four common high-pressure beliefs and ways to rewrite them in the new year.
New Year, New Me
Once the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Day, you don't have to transform into a new person. Why? Because the current version of yourself is perfect. Yes, there's always something you can work to improve, but that doesn't mean you're not a great person, just the way you are.
So, instead of taking on the "new year, new me" attitude, celebrate yourself with the "new year, same me" belief. Because you are the reason you've gotten to this point in your life so far. You deserve to be celebrated and let yourself enjoy the new year without unnecessary stress.
You're a force to be reckoned with just the way you are. Be sure to remind yourself of that the next time you feel the pressure to set New Year's goals.
I Have to Lose Weight
Losing weight is one of the most common New Year's resolutions, but it doesn't have to be. First, you can stay your exact weight for the rest of your life — it's your prerogative. Don't allow society or unrealistic beauty standards to change how you feel when you look in the mirror.
Now, if you want to drop a few pounds, there's nothing wrong with that. But linking it to a new year can cause unnecessary stress. So let yourself be instead of running out to reactivate your gym membership the first week in January.
The next time you fall into the new year weight loss trap, look in the mirror and remind yourself how beautiful you are — inside and out.
It's Time to Join the 5 AM Club
The early bird may get the worm, but guess what? We're not worms. Maybe you've been striving to join the 5 a.m. club for years because society says successful people wake up early. Being an early bird is fine, but maybe it’s not for you. You can release yourself from the expectation instead of forcing your body to adapt to a schedule that doesn't work for you physically or mentally.
If you wake up at 7 a.m. and immediately start your day without a two-hour morning routine and it works for you, turn off your 5 a.m. alarm and pat yourself on the back. You're doing what works, and you deserve applause.
I'm Cutting Back on [Fill in the Blank]
… Starbucks lattes.
… DoorDash meals.
… weekly happy hour dates with friends.
… every TV subscription available on the market.
As much as we focus on things to change in the new year, finding ways to save money is often near the top of the list. Common resolutions involve finances, from earning more to spending less.
But guess what? If you continue to indulge in your favorite Starbucks drink or keep five streaming service subscription services and they bring you joy, keep at it!
You can decide at any point throughout the year to change your spending habits if you choose, but if you don't want to, you don't have to. And the new year is not the time to make it happen if you're not ready.
So How Do You Take the Pressure out of the New Year?
If you're reading this, congratulations — you've made it to the new year. With that opportunity comes choices. You can continue to live your life as is if you're happy and healthy. Perhaps there are some things you want to change, which is fine. But it's best to do so because you want to and when you want to. Don't allow made-up societal guidelines about when and how to live your best life pressure you into doing too much, too fast. Oh … and Happy New Year!
