No, January. Just…NO.
I’ve never liked New Year’s resolutions. I want to love this time of year. But I hate everyone’s “New Year, New Me” energy. Please, everybody, as Anne Hathaway said, "Calma.
CALMA.
Don't make your metamorphosis my problem.
Coming back from vacation is jarring. Even if it was a couch vacation, watching all 41 Hallmark Christmas movies.
Don’t you hate coming back to the office after the holidays?
The vibes are off. The sad, leftover decorations from the Christmas party. Deflated balloons, wilted poinsettias, rotting pears in picked-through gift baskets. You forgot to toss that sandwich from your mini fridge in December. Now, you'll need a gas mask to remove it without puking.
Everyone's new attitudes can even zap your energy via email. "Just circling back!” “How were your holidays?” “Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?”
I Will Resolve Nothing
The whole idea of starting a new life on New Year’s Day is absurd. It's a new year, so you're supposed to reinvent yourself. But, on day one, you're hungover. Great start.
And why is January the time we’re supposed to go hard?
We spent all our money in December. Ate all the food, drank all the drinks, and fought with all the people in our family. Phew. Exhausting. And in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s dark at 5 p.m. It’s cold. Flowers aren’t blooming. Animals are hibernating. I am taking my cue from nature, not from a productivity challenge on Instagram.
Why can’t we popularize things like…
JUST FUCKING RELAX, JANUARY
JUST TAKE IT DOWN A NOTCH, JANUARY.
JUST….NO. JANUARY.
If You Want My Advice
Last January, I released a podcast episode about my disdain for the whole ‘new year, new you’ thing and I gave some actual doable and fun tips on how to make different kinds of resolutions - that don’t involve trying to become someone you’re not.
And if you want a downloadable PDF transcript of the episode - done by me, not AI, easy to read, with the research highlighted - like having your own study guide, you can get one by subscribing to the Patreon for the “You Are A Lot” podcast. That’s the type of cool stuff people get over there, in addition to bonus episodes, videos from me, live “Ask Me Anything” sessions, and a chat community with other ADHD people.
