Happy New Year, friends! We can't believe how quickly the holiday season flew by, but we're looking forward to an exciting 2024.
While celebrating the New Year can be fun, it can also feel like a lot of pressure —pressure to enjoy yourself, pressure to be productive, pressure to find and stick to a New Year's resolution. It's hard to find any concrete data on it, but there's a lot of anecdotal evidence online to suggest that very few people actually stick to their resolutions. If you're one of those people who goes into January with the best intentions but they go completely out of the window by March, don't worry, you're not alone.
A resolution can be a great motivator, but it's never mandatory! Here are some fun alternatives you can try instead...
Set an Affirmation!
Instead of working towards a goal or action, try setting an affirmation for the New Year. An affirmation is a positive statement that is used to challenge negative thoughts. By setting one overarching affirmation for the New Year, you can focus on one specific area of your mindset. If you're the kind of person who feels as though you have to get everything right on the first try, you might set an affirmation like "I give myself permission to be a beginner."
Here are some affirmations you could try for 2024:
"I am not going to measure my worth based on my productivity."
"I love myself unconditionally and deserve everything I want in life."
"I am open to unexpected opportunities."
"I am at home in my body."
"Every day is an opportunity to learn something new about myself."
Set Focuses
Our host, Bridie, was recently chatting to a friend about New Year's Resolutions, and this person explained that they were setting focuses for 2024 instead. We think this is a marvellous idea for anyone who enjoys having something to work towards in the new year, as it offers an area to concentrate on but takes away the element of achievement. Focuses may look similar to resolutions, but they're more about the journey than the destination and there's no pressure to engage with them regularly; just as and when you feel like it!
Some ideas for focuses could include:
"Exploring mindfulness and getting in touch with my mind and body."
"Discovering what friendship means to me."
"Expressing myself and my identity more."
"Learning more about queer history and other people's identities."
Don't Set Anything!
It can be challenging to opt out when everybody around you seems to be doing something, but you genuinely do not have to set any kind of intention for the New Year. We've all got enough to think about an concentrate on in our daily lives, so why add to your plate? It doesn't make you any less capable or any less normal to go into a fresh year with no major focal point; life will give you plenty to focus on regardless!
Still, telling other people you've not got a resolution can be a bit like telling them you're not having a drink and they may ask a lot of questions and try and encourage you to "join the fun."
Here are some things you can say to people when they ask you why you've not set a resolution:
"I just didn't feel like it, I'd love to hear about your resolution though!"
"I'm letting the year take the lead and reveal what I should focus on in the moment."
"I'm trying not to put as much pressure on myself this year."
We hope that your 2024 is peaceful and full of laughter and friendship, and we hope to see new faces and old at our pop-up events this year. Until then, remember to be kind to yourselves and remember, you never need an excuse to rest!
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