Van Beek: Embracing the quitter
Forbes Health stated, “Failing at New Year’s resolutions is so common that there’s even a slew of (unofficial) dates commemorating such failures — some sources cite “Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day” as Jan. 17 while others denote the second Friday in January as “Quitter’s Day.”
Yep, it began with great intentions but ended up tossed in the trash like last weekend’s pizza box. New Year’s resolutions are the ultimate guilt trip.
Sure, you’ll run a marathon this year, you’ll begin by keeping the TV remote away from the sofa. That great new Peloton bike will certainly burn up the calories, but not as much as watching the trainer in the video. Learning a new language … you’re thinking you’ll begin with foreign restaurants, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Greek — what nationality is BBQ?
How about a gym membership, that’s a plan … get out in the freezing cold, to be in a room with others, held together by spandex, who are attached to devices that could have been utilized in any James Bond movie for interrogation. Then, the old diet resolution kicks in … how about kale instead of a cheeseburger; yeah, that’ll last.
Then, we get into the task-related resolutions. The garage. If all those things could be elsewhere, they would be. The car doesn’t need a room to itself, it’s designed to be outdoors! The attic. Doesn’t keeping it full help to insulate the house, making it energy efficient? Remodeling the kitchen. How much kitchen space does kale take?
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Yet, we still continue to go through the motions of making resolutions — and by mid-January, we are responding with, yada yada yada. However, we set those goals as a declaration that every year we intend to do better than the last. Some may be unrealistic but as was beautifully articulated by Norman Vincent Peale, “Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
That said, the third Monday in January is known as “Blue Monday.” After almost two months of holiday excitement, come mid-January, your body, both physically and emotionally, begins to recalibrate, and it can feel like a huge letdown, particularly when highlighted by broken resolutions.
That added to colder weather, limited sunshine, more time stuck indoors, and if that weren’t enough, the body’s exhaustive state has weakened the immune system, and it seems that everyone is sick with something. And, if that weren’t depressing enough, holiday bills begin arriving.
The good news is that this will soon pass, and you really do have what it takes to endure and maybe even flourish.
When you are exhausted, it’s your body’s way of telling you to take a break … if you don’t do it voluntarily, it will do it for you through illness. Now, that doesn’t mean that you can simply take time off work or from your normal responsibilities, but it does mean that you can establish a bit of balance in your daily routine.
First off, those pesky resolutions. They were made perhaps while ingesting a bit too much eggnog. Think of yourself as a work-in-progress. When you begin, you have an ultimate goal in mind, but upon implementation, you realize that there are many steps leading toward that result, some taking longer than anticipated. You may also realize that in your enthusiasm to achieve, you may not have adequately defined the resolution you had in mind, which leads to disappointment.
For example, many people include weight loss as part of their resolution. They then set arbitrary scale numbers as their goal, which is usually their weight in high school, with no recognition that ideal weight changes as our bodies age and develop. Yet, if overweight, it is admirable to want to be thinner and more fit.
Rather than eliminate the resolution, make it real. Instead of using a scale as your definition of success, how about changing the objective from weight to health? Excellent health will include optimal weight and the benefits are far more significant and enduring. Adapting to a healthy lifestyle is a gift to yourself that lasts a lifetime.
Big achievements begin small. Every day, include something toward your goal, regardless of how small it may seem. If it’s cleaning out the garage, start with one box a week. If it’s working out, begin with parking farthest from the building, or walking one flight of stairs and taking the elevator up from the second floor. These small successes will inspire you toward greater achievements.
Psychologically, unless you are clinically depressed, know that this is a temporary state of mind; change your state. Fifteen minutes a day can make a world of difference. What can you do in 15 minutes? Sit in the sun (even on an indoor balcony). Get off social media. Listen to your favorite music and dance or karaoke your way through it. Search for a good standup comedy show on Netflix. Do something nice for a friend in need (it will help you immensely). Take up art or a hobby … you don’t have to be good; you just have to enjoy it. Dig out an old board game and invite your friends over to play like they were kids.
If the sadness becomes overwhelming, seek professional help. They understand what you are going through, are familiar with the symptoms, and can help with targeted treatments.
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Adapting your New Year’s resolutions to something better is not quitting. If you are restructuring tasks for better efficiency, or eliminating others as you reevaluate priorities, it is a mature and appropriate response.
January is a time of new beginnings and it’s only one chapter in a book that is written over the next 12 months. Make it a bestseller!
James van Beek is the Eagle County sheriff. You can reach him at james.vanbeek@eaglecounty.us.
