Ahh the start of a brand new year. Cue the advertisements for diets, weight loss pills, and gym memberships. Get ready for an influx of influencers telling you how you can change yourself for the better starting on January 1st, and how you can buy their course to help you do it! Brace yourself for the “New Year, New You” campaigns.
I am all about living a healthy lifestyle so we can feel our best physically and emotionally. But the “New Year, New You” messaging must go. It’s implying that you’re not good enough, and because the calendar changed to a new year, you now need to cultivate an updated and improved version of yourself. But what’s wrong with the old you? What’s wrong with entering 2025 with the same you?
This year, let’s give each other permission to let the new year go by with a simple change of the calendar and some cheers at midnight (or more realistically—a fun NOON Year’s Eve for this stage of life). Let’s give ourselves permission to NOT start a crash diet on 1/1 to then stop it two weeks later because it’s not sustainable. Let’s give ourselves permission to not get burnt out by adding 5 spin classes to our already hectic schedules.
I am not against bettering oneself. I think eating healthier and being active is a great idea. However, the “New Year, New You” message can be damaging for some. At this stage of mom life, a lot of us are just trying to stay afloat. We are already juggling SO MUCH. The fall is a super busy time, followed by December which is go, go, go. The last thing we need is societal pressure to suddenly morph into a different version of ourselves.
If you like New Year’s Resolutions, go for it. If you want to change certain aspects of yourself and your life, go for it. But the pressure for everyone to make resolutions needs to stop. Any time of the year is a good time to make changes or improvements, but only if you are in the mental space to do so and you’re doing it because you want to.
When I was home juggling a newborn and a 2.5-year-old, making a list of things to change about myself would have been extremely harmful to my mental health. In January of that year, I was trying to keep everyone fed, safe, and happy, while trying to stay awake. Being bombarded with private messages and ads to join “Beachbody” or start a new wellness program in the New Year was extremely frustrating and honestly…annoying.
This New Year, know it’s okay if it’s just the same you. Block out the noise. Ignore the outside influences and pressures telling you that you’re not good enough. You are awesome just the way you are. Let’s consider an alternative narrative for those who need to hear it: New Year, Same You.
