A Healthy Mindset for a New Year

I crashed and burned into my holiday break. But not because my year was a dumpster fire. More like a firework: soaring up, bursting with excitement, and now ready to wind down.

As I’ve spent the past couple weeks reflecting on 2021 and transitioning into 2022, two narratives seem to surround this New Year’s season.

Narrative 1: To erase the messiness of the last couple years, you need to achieve that perfect life . . . and if you aren’t happy, fit, and successful by next December you’re a failure who didn’t fight hard enough.

This is where New Year’s Resolutions go to die. It’s easy to pile on the goals and declare “This is MY year” in a rush of January-1st-motivation. But it sets us up for guilt and discouragement: if we have a bad day or our plans get wrecked by something that’s out of our control, it’s suddenly “NOT my year” and we’ll try again next January.

Many resolutions are too vague to apply to your daily life or too exact to be realistic. And the word “resolution” implies you are a problem that needs to be fixed. Instead, you are a human being who recognizes areas of your life that need growth. So change your goals from punishments into adventures. For example, two of the most common resolutions are to eat healthier and be more active. Instead of just telling yourself what you can’t eat, have fun discovering new foods and recipes that fuel you and taste great. Instead of disgusting yourself with negativity towards your physical appearance, enjoy the strength, energy, and mental health boosts you earn from exercise.

Self-talk is so important for keeping up motivation without losing joy.

Instead of pressuring yourself with perfection, focus on progress. If I completely mess up a goal by mid-January, it’s not a problem: every day is an opportunity to redirect or start fresh. And every year is your year because it’s 365 days of your life.

Narrative 2: The last couple years have been filled with so much stress and disappointment, you shouldn’t even try to improve your life . . . just give up, sit back, and watch the world burn.

This one hurts. It feeds my anxiety and starves my hope. Cynicism is a type of self-preservation: we can’t fail if we don’t try. But if we wait for the perfect conditions before we insert joy, positivity, and change into our lives then we'll never get started. And when circumstances are hard, we need these things even more. Otherwise, we’ll waste our whole lives going along with the so-so, unsatisfied flow. It’s easy to exist and to complain about existing. It takes effort to thrive and to fuel that journey.

This is where goals come in handy. Not do-or-die resolutions or wishes you make-but-expect-to-break. Approachable tasks and habits that you add to your daily routine. Intentionality is key. Define what you want and why it’s meaningful to you. Then dedicate time to your goals. (tip one): you can’t create more time in your day, but you can shift time away from places, people, or habits that aren’t healthy for you. (tip two): try tackling your biggest priority 1st thing in your day—before you have time to doubt or distract yourself.

Stretching your limits is painful, but think of it as growing pains, not self-inflicted torture. Enjoy the process because you are worth the results.

If you can’t stop the world from burning, don’t let it degrade your life to ashes. Turn your little corner of the fire into fuel for your best life.

Looking back:

2021 had a lot of pressure placed on it. The year was supposed to reverse everything that had gone wrong in 2020. But viruses and politics don’t follow the calendar. Now the Internet is wishing 2021 “Good Riddance!” and lumping it in with 2020 as a complete waste.

It’s true some years are harsh. My mental health suffered in 2020 from cancelled plans, fear of the future, and losing connection with the friends and arts I loved. Then 2021 was filled with the awkwardness and anxiety of reentering the world and exiting my comfort zone. And that’s just me: others have struggled and lost far more.

But I refuse to call all this time a waste. Lockdowns and loneliness taught me how to be thankful for the little things I take for granted. How to structure my own schedule so I could stay active, stay in school, and stay sane. 2020 was a year of coping and strengthening. 2021 was one of the best years of my life. Not because it was perfect or easy, but because I hand-crafted a new life for myself. I said no to a job that was dragging down my mental health; then I panicked, scrambled, and earned myself a better job in a week’s time. I volunteered when and where I could as the performing arts opened back up. I learned that if you insert your talents where you feel called to (in spite of your nerves or doubts), connections will slowly, surely form and doors will open to your momentum. I am speechlessly grateful for the friendships and opportunities that have been placed in my path.

Instead of dwelling on the pain, recognize everything you’ve overcome. And never ever let the world’s negativity make you feel guilty for the happiness you’ve built.

Looking forward:

I didn’t make a 2022 New Year’s resolution. Too much can happen in a year for me to make such a sweeping prediction, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t apprehensive. Will this year’s circumstances nourish the seeds I planted last year? Or will it uproot them? I don’t have any choice but to wait and see.

But I can choose to not worry about the “what-ifs”. I’ll take a step forward today. And then tomorrow I’ll take another one.

• With intentionality to meet balanced daily goals.

• Self-talk that focuses on the silver linings and lessons learned.

• & a mindset that adapts instead of quits, grows instead of settles.

Welcome to 2022, everyone—and to everything it has in store for us.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this self-reflective season. How do you feel about the past year—what are you ready to leave behind, and what are you excited to carry forward? Are there any affirmations or tips and tricks that have helped you thrive?