A Different Kind of New Year’s Resolutions

I have already written about my personal hurdles with New Year’s resolutions in a separate blog. The pressure of the new year. The need to improve upon ourselves. The challenges of making long-lasting changes to our attitudes and routines. This is not a blog about those things, rather, I wanted to share a different perspective on New Year’s resolutions.

The general idea about New Year’s resolutions is that they are changes we make to better ourselves and improve our quality of life. They are changes we have been putting off or haven’t been able to yet incorporate into our lives. Whatever they are, they always feel like some kind of challenge. What if the resolution you made wasn’t challenging at all? What if it was super fun and therefore, easy to incorporate? What if it could still improve your quality of life, but there was no guilt associated with not following through?

I have seen a few memes online with resolutions such as these. One person said if they saw a fruit or vegetable at the grocery store that they never tried before they would buy it. Another person said they would switch up the shape of pasta they ate each week. What if you bought a variety of different bath bombs to try? Or once a week you try to watch a random movie on Netflix? Maybe once a week you try a different coffee at Starbucks than your standard venti iced matcha with oat milk added and vanilla cold foam on top (yes, that is my standard order when I go).

These types of resolutions shake things up a bit. They add a little more variety to your life. They are not necessarily life changing, but you may discover new things you like and enjoy from trying them out. Most importantly, if you decide after two weeks that you no longer feel like committing to the change, you can go right back to your favorite bath bomb and coffee order with a new appreciation for your standard choices.

If you would like to speak to a professional counselor or psychologist about this and are in the Chicago area, please feel free to contact Olive Branch Counseling Associates, Inc. at 708-633-8000. We are located at 6819 West 167^th Street in Tinley Park, Illinois 60477.

Hillary R.,

Masters Level Intern, 2023