Ditch New Year’s Resolutions and Try a 2022 “Theme” Instead

As the holiday season wraps up and we approach the beginning of 2022, the overwhelming urge to transform yourself for the New Year emerges. Often the beginning of the New Year comes with talk of dieting, exercising, developing new hobbies, starting a new job, or engaging in something that is different than the previous year. New Year’s resolutions can weigh heavy on us as we try to come up with one, and then stick to it. We can find ourselves disappointed and let down when we aren’t able to stick with a behavioral change, and this can lead to feeling shame around our ability to commit to ourselves.

I encourage you to think differently about this upcoming year, and instead of a New Year’s resolution, try coming up with an overarching theme for 2022 that can help guide you in a direction that feels right for you. Having a larger theme instead of smaller goals can keep you in a healthier mind frame as you consider smaller objectives throughout the year. For example, if your theme of 2022 is “health and wellness”, then you can find many ways to incorporate this into your daily life through smaller, more tangible means. However, if you are unable to accomplish those smaller tasks, you can reflect on the larger theme and reset yourself for a new objective.

Some themes that may resonate with people this upcoming year include:

• Health and Wellness

• Mobility

• Clarity and Enlightenment

• Calmness and Stillness

• Connection and Loved Ones

• Independence

• Progress and Forward Thinking

• Kindness and Empathy

As we end one year and begin another, I hope that you are gentle on yourself and allow yourself to be exactly who you are.