January is often the time for grandiose, ‘life changing’ get sh*t done resolutions. Who else hasn’t taken time at the end of a typical December and excitedly, albeit optimistically, written down all the big ‘to do’ plans for the new year? And how have those gone as time has passed? How do these resolutions hold up when spring rolls around? Now, let’s throw a pandemic into that dynamic. Many 2020 resolutions (like travel, or spending more time with family) are not accessible even if the intention was there in the first place.
Now, this isn’t meant to be discouraging; rather, this is intended to highlight where we are now and offer an alternative, gentler proposal. We can all agree that this last year has been exceptionally difficult to stomach. What if we shifted our approach to New Year's resolutions to be more ‘bite sized’ in nature? This year, I propose that we look at creating attainable and reality-based resolutions. Ones that take place slowly, over time, and take the current pandemic circumstances into consideration.
For me, this year’s resolutions are largely centered around self-care in order to maintain a strong and healthy foundation to manage “COVID life” while keeping my spirits up. I started with the foundational essentials to wellness - water, food, and sleep. When these are not in place it hinders our energy, focus, and drive to complete our other priorities like going to the gym or finishing that house project. To prevent this, I've created resolutions around specific habits throughout my day. This helps keep me on track more easily than a vague statement like "drink more water." One trick I learned from James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits” is to stack a new habit onto an existing one. For example, I drink a cup of coffee every morning. So, I’ve taken this existing habit and have committed to consuming a cup of water before and after the coffee. If your water intake is below what is needed, you’ll be blown away by how much more energy you’ll have when you increase it! Think how much easier going to the gym after work would be if you had the energy? This is an example of where having these foundational needs met will enable us to achieve other life goals.
Another key piece to wellness is sleep. Have you ever heard of the term ‘sleep hygiene’? This is referring to habits that are conducive to promoting a quality night's sleep and they largely revolve around supporting the body in producing melatonin (a sleep inducing hormone). Melatonin is produced when our body is exposed to darkness and is turned off when exposed to light. Some small changes, like dimming the lights and trading the screens for a book makes an impactful difference on sleep quality. I recommend taking a moment to consider your wind down routine and how it may be contributing to your quality of sleep.
When foundational elements of health are met, the change it can make in your day-to-day life is incredible.
What are you resolving to do differently this year? How are you incorporating sustainable changes into your routine?
Sammy Long, R.Ac
Victoria BC