Enough forgotten gym memberships, swearing off sugar/carbs/everything good in life and vowing to change completely when the clock strikes 12 on December 31st. New Years' resolutions have lost their value when everybody started making unrealistic promises to change drastically that almost never come true. And worst of all, we end up feeling like crap about ourselves when we reflect on all the things we failed to do at the end of the year.
There are always little things we can do to improve, and I've learned that there are far more significant and rewarding goals we can have other than to lose half our weight and switch personalities overnight. So let's try out "new year, slightly newer and a lot happier me" with these 7 do-able resolutions:
1. Try not to take things so personally.
Pretty much everything ever said was offensive in 2016, and people somehow lost sight of their sense of humor. Yes, it's great to stand up for things you believe in and support a good cause, but I think it does more harm than good to take offense in every little thing and whine about what you can't control. If you can't learn to take a joke or laugh at yourself every once in awhile you won't be able to survive 2017.
2. Take better care of yourself -- in more ways than one.
Over crowded gyms on the first week of January and empty promises to start crazy diets are the epitome of failed New Years resolutions. Realistically speaking, we're not all gonna magically lose a ton of weight or quit burritos and alcohol just because it's a new year. Instead of starvation or overdoing it at the gym until you eventually give up, set smaller goals to be more active by doing anything new that'll just get you off the couch or make you happy in any way.
Health goes far beyond being physically fit, and you'll just drive yourself crazy pushing yourself to reach these impossible standards. Put your mental well-being first or else none of the changes you wanted to make will ever stick.
3. Say yes to spontaneous plans.
Life hack: if anyone ever invites you on a random road trip, or when a friend calls you in the middle of the night to do something ridiculous, always say yes. I've never regretted doing anything spontaneous and unplanned with people I love and that's 100% something we all need to do more of to keep life interesting. If it sounds stupid and crazy, it's probably a lot of fun. And if anything, at least you won't be alone in that jail cell.
4. Learn how to relax -- truly.
Don't wear pants if you don't absolutely have to, read a new book, paint an awful picture, take a walk and listen to good music. All minor yet underrated things we could do when we desperately need some down time and fresh perspective, that I swear will make you appreciate life more.
Stop living so fast you forget to take time to put your stress aside, or you'll regret it when you're older and have more responsibilities than you could've imagined. Take a break, relax, and enjoy the little things.
5. Emotionally detach from social media.
Yeah, social media is great for expressing yourself and sharing your life, but enough is enough when it leads to downright obsession and twisted world views. No more letting retweets and likes define you and spending way too much time stalking everyone you know, log off and get back to reality.
Use social media for good -- laugh at memes and funny videos and share your thoughts and memories, but never let it consume you. A simple thing like turning your phone off for an hour a day and getting away from that tiny screen that takes over your life can make a huge difference.
6. Appreciate time to yourself.
I used to go nuts being alone because I automatically related that to being lonely. I learned the hard way how unhealthy it is to spend every second of your day with someone else and never making time for yourself.
Once you discover how to not only be okay on your own, but to genuinely enjoy and look forward to your alone time, everything changes. Your relationship with yourself is the most important, and you'll never feel truly fulfilled unless you can hangout with yourself and be perfectly fine with that.
7. Be open.
This resolution is literally open for interpretation. I could word it in a million different ways, but all these changes just come down to your willingness to change. Having the ability to be open to new experiences and new people will determine how successful you are in improving yourself, and having a memorable year you can be proud of.
Be kind, honest, open-minded, and good things will come. If you don't wanna find yourself at the end of 2017 disappointed with all the promises to yourself that you didn't keep, you'll make the effort to make the important smaller steps. In the end, these are the resolutions worth having- mostly because you can still have pizza and beer.
