It’s January, Be Nice To Yourself

Every January we are bombarded with fitness plans, weight loss guides and painfully basic advice on how to have the perfect home via decluttering and massive organizing. We are presented with endless and awful “how to have the perfect body” guides.  Every year it seems like we punish ourselves for just having had a holiday. Why do we do this to ourselves?

This year–especially with Omicron making a trip to the gym more of a risk than a benefit for your health–it’s time to make a change. Instead of starting the year off with those horrible “New Year/ New You” resolutions, this is the year where the best choice of self-care is accepting that “The old you is just fine.” 

There is no need to “be your best self” if it involves giving up birthday cake and the occasional glass of wine. 

Times are tough, and this year it’s time to work on self-acceptance rather than self-improvement. 2022 calls for coziness not core work. 

Andrew Bernstein on Twitter put it this way:

Here’s a PSA. Pretty much everyone you know is having a rough time right now. People are lonely, bored, sad, anxious or some combination. I’ve spoken to two friends today who admitted how hard it has been. So it’s a good week to be as kind as you can to the people in your life.

— Andrew Bernstein (@AndrewBernstei9) January 24, 2022

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If you really feel like you must do some improvement during this dreadful month, try accepting other people. Don’t judge people by the sweatpants they are wearing, or the fact that they still have their Christmas lights up when it is nearly February or that they just got Covid from taking a chance and going out to a self-soothing dinner. 

We’re all grumpalumps right now. Go easy on yourself.