For a lot of people, New Year’s resolutions can be an important guider for their year and an exciting prospect. It can give your year a structure and help give you clear and concise aims, so hey, if it works for you, then go for it!
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However, on the other side, these new year’s resolutions can put pressure on the individual and become somewhat toxic; if this is you, maybe you need to hear this: be kinder to yourself.
It’s difficult not to be sucked into this social media frenzy of influencers gloating about all their previous year achievements and seeing your feed exploding with highlights of people’s previous year. Sometimes, even though it’s the most beautiful thing seeing your peers becoming successful and achieving their dreams, it’s hard not to compare yourself, especially if you feel like you haven’t achieved enough. For some people, even making it through the year is a monumental achievement in itself, and that’s often overlooked.
It’s so important to keep in mind that everyone is on their own walk in life, some people may get to their preferred destinations quicker than others, with less hurdles and less objections in the way, but for others it can be a far more difficult feat, with thing like mental health issues, physical disabilities, financial difficulties or a plethora of other things that could be affecting an individual in the way. Obviously, one of the most well-known facts about life is how unpredictable and chaotic it can be, and it’s important to keep that in mind too.
This is something I wish I had been reminded of in the midst of my mental health breakdown four years, when walking to the corner shop felt like I had just run a marathon, and it’s a feeling I know too many people are unfortunately so familiar with.
This isn’t a discouragement to go and achieve all the things you set yourself to achieve this year, just remember to be realistic. It’s just a reminder that if things don’t go to plan, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure, or not good enough. It doesn’t mean those things you want are never going to happen. It just means that occasionally, life gets in the way and that’s okay. No one really has their shit together.
the life of Gail 