New Year’s resolutions are rarely new; they’re more things we’ve attempted halfheartedly – half-consciously – to do in the past, that we feel guilt or shame toward not succeeding at, and that we wish to re-attempt, with new resolve.
That’s been my experience, at least. And I suspect a big reason that so many people, myself included, give up on resolutions is that we reach too quickly for a variation of the same solution without thinking more about why the old ones failed. There’s a kind of consumerist logic to it, that resolve + acquisition = change. We repeatedly swap out different whats without reflecting enough on the whys. It’s not too far off from the classic definition of insanity.
I particularly liked this article by Casey Johnston about cultivating the “mindset bubble” of a supportive fitness community:
There is a different way to feel about exercise than exasperated guilt. I’ve thought a lot about what particular bug it was I caught about lifting heavy weights, and the community was a huge component. It was a space where people were about their skills and strength, not weight loss or punishment for eating the “wrong” foods or having abs (though that part can be fun, secondarily). It was about learning to use your body to do strong stuff, and that was it. So if you’re tempted to beat yourself down yet again with another secret-shame resolution, I’m suggesting instead trying to surround yourself to the extent that you can with a different mentality around health and just, you know, marinating in it a little.
Instead of going for a new fad diet, or subscribing to a new fitness app – the latest iteration of a tried-and-failed approach, Johnston’s advocating an entirely different kind of approach altogether.
