Resolutions

The term resolution has been thrown around a lot lately, especially during the New Year. When I think of resolutions, I think of gym parking lots that are full in early January and almost empty come March. I can also think of how I would abstain from cookies and brownies at the start of the New Year, and by the time I attended my first birthday party, wedding, and/or baby shower, I would give in at the first sight of the dessert section. If the term resolution makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, due to the failure complex that can come with it, it's okay to instead say goals. Good intentions are not enough to cause us to fully commit to our resolutions or goals for 2022. It will take a plan of action. What do I mean by plan of action? I'm glad you asked! It's nothing more than a step by step plan of how you intend to start working towards your goal in hopes of building some level of consistency. A plan of action will involve little steps that will eventually transform into an automatic routine.

The same can be said of being more intentional with our mental health.

We need a plan of action to ensure that we're attending to our mental health needs. Attending to our mental health needs is a loaded phrase. It can range from being still during our morning quiet time to processing unresolved childhood trauma. We won't know where we're at on this mental health continuum until we've pushed past the most difficult part, which is just reaching out to a therapist for help. Awareness is key right! We can't improve on what we're not aware of. Let me also speak of the shame complex that can exist with going to therapy. First off, therapy isn't just for crisis situations. You can be quite proactive when engaging with a therapist. There's an old saying that says, "you can't teach a man to swim when he's drowning." Therapy can be a lot more effective if we decide to reach out for help before our issues get worse. Whether your New Years resolution is to improve on your overall physical health, time management, money management, or overall character, you're going to need some level of outside assistance and expertise. Mental health shouldn't be looked at any differently from these other categories. If we decide to ignore our mental health, it will sill get our attention by showing up in other areas of our lives. Especially in our various relationships! Secondly, give yourself some room to fail and to try again at whatever goal you've set before you. Sometimes our inner critic can drown out whatever bit of encouragement we've received. Be patient and gracious with ourselves. Real change can typically be a very slow and organic process. Having a support system that's connected to your goal can add a certain level of comfort and tenacity to achieving your goal. I wish you all the best at whatever it is that you've made up your mind to accomplish this year. I encourage you to make this journey a marathon and not a sprint. Until next time!