A Case Against New Years Resolutions

By Amy ( Freier ) Moran, LCPC, CST

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I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I rarely make them, because I know I rarely keep them. The last one I actually made (and kept) was to commit myself to begin to like olives, because I thought I was the type of person who needed to like olives. It was a real existential crisis, training for this culinary marathon, seeing as I really hated olives. It turned out to be a successful 2014, if I do say so myself. Olives are delicious.

Despite my dislike of New Years resolutions, I do appreciate the intention of resolutions as a determination for self-improvement in the New Year. It serves as a means of restoring hope and purpose—a notion I find difficult to debate.

This year, however, I decided to do the opposite of a New Years Resolution, which is often a proclamation of committing ourselves to doing something more as a way of creating more personal fulfillment and growth: More time at the gym; Eating healthier meals more frequently; More social commitments; More green juice…the list goes on.

This year, to hell with more! I’m committing to doing less.

  • Less social media

  • Less time and energy spent worrying about everything

  • Less time wondering whether I should eat another bowl of popcorn (The answer is always an obvious yes, who am I kidding?)

While this concept of doing less is surely easier said than done (especially as a business owner!) I like to see this as an opportunity to give myself permission to just slow the heck down, and to listen to my body more. This is at the core of what we talk about with our clients on a daily basis, whether it happens to be focused on reducing anxiety, connecting as partners, or experiencing pleasure. Each of these require skills of intention: Slowing down, reveling in the minutia of life, savoring the nuances of just being.

I have a feeling that the more I practice what I preach, I’ll begin to hear what my mind and body have been trying to tell me all along: To let go, worry less, and always, ALWAYS eat more popcorn.

Whatever your wish for the New Year, I hope it’s meaningful, enduring, and at least a touch indulgent. Here’s to 2020!

Amy Freier