New Year, New Resolutions

So, I love New Year resolutions. It is probably for the same reason I can really enjoy a good self-help book. I love the idea of flipping a switch somewhere in my mind, and suddenly making a change that greatly improves my life. Of course, it doesn’t really work this way. While the final decision to change can be made in an instant, the follow-through takes real work and a serious commitment. I usually start to talk myself out of it after a few days or weeks and settle back into my old, comfortable ways.

With alcohol, though, it has been different. I started with 30 days, with the goal of seeing what 100 days of sobriety would be like. I started this blog, and reached out to others trying the same thing. I joined this wonderful, supportive community to keep myself accountable. And, even though I decided to experiment with drinking a few times during the past year, I had fundamentally changed the way I see alcohol. I preferred not drinking, and for the first time, I didn’t just start drinking again daily. Why this time? I really think it was abstaining for a long enough period of time to know that I liked sobriety better and to see how slippery the slope was. Now, I am at 146 days without booze, and I can see the benefits of not drinking even more clearly. The longer I go, the more I see.

I’ve tried a few times since then to tackle the other things in my life that I feel are standing in the way of truly improving my health, but I haven’t been as successful. I think the key may be, like with alcohol, choosing a specific period of time to “experiment” with something that is long enough to feel a change but not so long that you give up. I know that I’m not going to just up and change forever my bad habits. I’m not trying to never fall down. I just want to be able to get back up again.

In November, I made it most of the month doing yoga every day. I only stopped because I injured myself. The 20 days or so I did in a row were good, but not enough, to make me keep going. In January, I’m committing to a whole 30 days of yoga, with an eye toward 100 days. Just like with alcohol. Earlier today, I was reading this post by my friend JS at Life Sipping Away: https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/107557978/posts/3103365261, and I was happy to see that she will also be doing 30 days of yoga in January. Maybe others will join us!

I am also going to do two more things in January: I am going to cut the added sugar out of my diet and tackle one item a day on my “to do” list. I recently made a very long list of things I want or need to take care of. It feels very daunting, but I think if I just commit to one thing per day, I can do it. The sugar thing is just because I need a break from sugar. There’s been way too much of it recently. You can probably relate. 🙂

So, that’s it. My list of resolutions. Not for the year, but for January. Yoga every day, no added sugar, and cross one item off my list every day.

Wishing you all much love and a very happy new year!

xoxo

Leafy