How do you plan for a new year when all your plans for last year were cancelled?
How do you “choose one word” or make a new year’s resolution after a year full of challenges, loss, drastically altered lives, and grief?
After the mess that was 2020, “normal” resolutions about health, hustling, and habits just don’t seem to fit quite right anymore. And much like my massive collection of jeans from pre-2020, it’s time to toss out the things that don’t fit anymore.
But as an incurable optimist, I still believe in fresh starts, new beginnings, and hopeful resolve. And I believe that we can take what we learned from 2020 and apply it to our lives–even lives that are still very much in limbo. So what kind of resolutions do fit? Here are some ideas.
Self Love
- Appreciate My Body Every Day
- Try New Vegetable Recipes
- Explore More Hiking Trails
- Prioritize Sleep
Rather than focusing on the perceived negative things you want to remove from your life (weight, sugar, laziness, etc.), focus on the good you want to add to your life, such as body positivity, yummy veggies, and joyful exercise. While healthful living is always an admirable and worthy goal (especially during a pandemic when we realize just how important our health is!), we just don’t need rigid rules, shame, or black and white thinking.
And while we’re at it, let’s stop focusing so much on our physical appearance, and remember what really mattered, what really got us through 2020 . . .
Community Love
Even after a global pandemic, an inland hurricane, and an entire year of disrupted lives, time and time again we saw our community come together to support each other. Families reached out to neighbors, churches donated food and supplies, and whether it was time, money, or hard work that was needed, it was always people that showed up. Community matters. Our humanity is what unites us and what we can count on in times of crisis.
Here are some other-focused resolutions that could help us all maintain the incredible momentum that was started in 2020.
- Love More
- Be Kind
- Support Local Businesses
- Shop Small
Earth Love
And finally, without our earth, we truly have nothing. As inspiration, I highly recommend watching David Attenborough’s witness statement documentary, “A Life On Our Planet” for a heart wrenching yet hopeful look at our planet and humans’ impact on it.
Consider making some green(er) choices in your home and on-the-go. Choose a few ways to eliminate single-use plastic from your life with this massive list of tips for swaps and alternatives, or check out this list of ways to go green in the city.
Can 2021 be the year we work together to protect and nurture this home of ours? These environment-focused resolutions could be a starting point.
- Appreciate What I Have
- Waste Less
- Create More
- Purchase Intentionally
I wish you all a better, brighter, more hopeful 2021!
