New Year’s Resolutions

It’s a new year, new decade even and I’ve been seeing and hearing everyone talk about their New Year’s resolutions. I think it’s great to set goals for yourself such as improving your health or vowing to travel more often. But i’ve been seeing statements such as “new year, new me,” that concern me. I understand that sometimes this is said as a joke. But for those of you who aren’t joking, I have some concerns:

1. Why do you feel that you need to completely change yourself in 2020?
2. Do you actually intend on completely changing yourself in 2020?
3. If you did completely change yourself in 2020, do you think that somehow then you would be happy with yourself?

This “new year, new me,” is alarming to me. I think posts with this caption are sending the wrong message to yourself and to others. What if instead of vowing to change everything about yourself in 2020, you instead vowed to love yourself for exactly who you are right now-mentally, physically and emotionally? What if you vowed to be kind to yourself and to others?

What if instead of trying to lose weight, you vowed to just eat healthier and work out (or event just walk) more often. What if instead of getting upset when certain clothes didn’t fit your body correctly, you accepted that it’s the clothes that are wrong for your body and not your body that is the problem. What if in 2020 we vowed to love ourselves? What if we loved our weaknesses as well as our strengths. And what if we accepted our personalities completely?

Magazines and different forms of media always talk about ways to lose weight. Articles like “Who was the best dressed at this awards show?” “What’s the best fashion accessory?” And “Who’s too skinny and who’s too fat?” Those media outlets make it seem like you aren’t good enough exactly the way you are right now. They make it seem as though you need to buy the latest designer bag, or lose weight in order to love yourself.

Today I’m here to tell you that exactly the way you are right now is good enough. And that you are allowed to love yourself right now. You don’t need to wait until you have the latest designer dress or until you’ve moved into your first home to be proud and love yourself. Instead of seeing how far you still have to go with certain aspects of your life, look at how far you have already come and celebrate it. Love yourself and love your journey.

Don’t get me wrong, of course it’s good to have goals for yourself today and everyday. But do it for the right reasons. Don’t do something because the media says you should. Do it because you want to be healthier: emotionally, physically, mentally. Go to therapy if you feel you need to talk to someone, get your nails done if it makes you feel good, get a massage to clear yourself mentally. But just make sure that you are doing those things for the right reasons.

I started watching a youtuber (Sierra Schultzzie) a few months ago that really changed my perspective on my body. Her videos helped me accept and love my body exactly that way it is.You don’t have to be a size 2, have a large chest, or have a bigger butt to love your body. You should love your body at any shape and size.

Sierra also talks about how she tries to eat healthy and workout as a way of being kind to her body. She really helps represent women of every size. She can be inspiring for men of different sizes as well. If you are interested, you can type her first and last name into youtube to find her.

This year, I’m challenging you to love yourself-mentally, emotionally, and physically. In 2020 make your new year’s resolution to be kind to yourself and to others.