Resolutions: How (After Only One Month) I'm Failing Miserably

Photo 28073486 / January Calendar Page © Ronstik | Dreamstime.com

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NOTE: This post was originally published in 2023 and contains some slight edits.

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Well, THAT didn’t take long.

My enthusiasm for the annual ‘fresh start’ usually takes slightly longer to dwindle than only a month.

What happened?

After spending time with family in Florida for the holidays, my daughter returned with me to see her brother and family living here in the Northeast.

Working a hybrid in-office and remote schedule, she took additional vacation days and stayed for two weeks.

Eating out is one of our favorite pastimes (I think we should become restaurant critics.) Sure, I cook some of her favorite dishes from childhood, but there are a few local restaurants that we love to visit. And we pretty much hit them all!

I realize that one can eat wisely regarding calories, but we enjoy a bottle of wine with our chicken francaise and margaritas with the quesadillas. Or, if it’s burgers, pizza, or buffalo wings, there’s nothing like a frosty mug of Stella Artois!

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits. ~Author unknown

Another favorite activity is watching TV in the evenings. We like documentaries, true crime dramas, and comedies. But regardless of what we’re watching, we always want to snack on something (and I’m not talking carrot sticks.) It’s usually a bowl of ice cream, popcorn, chips, and dip.

Credit: giphy.com

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We also appreciate walking in the local park together. The fresh air and exercise are invigorating, and the park allows for great conversation without distractions.

Unfortunately, the weather is either rainy or snowy this time of year. The below-freezing temperatures make walking risky. (The last thing I need is a broken bone, so we didn’t walk at all.)

I bought a used treadmill a year ago, intending to use it during the winter so I’d have no excuse not to walk! until my left foot started hurting again. This time, it’s not plantar fasciitis, which shows up in the heel. The ache is in the ball of my foot, which initially caused metatarsalgia. Then, I noticed a separation between the second and third toes. A quick Google search informed me that I have a plantar plate tear. 

Therefore, I’m currently trying an at-home remedy that involves taping the affected toes, using a metatarsal pad, and staying off my feet (the easiest of the three, of course!). I also invested in a pair of shoes with rocker soles. They cost more money than all the shoes I’ve owned in my life—that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea. Hopefully, I won’t have to see a podiatrist.

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My plan was to stretch each morning, followed by some brief exercises targeting arms, legs, and the midsection (which blossomed when menopause hit.) I think that doing this routine four days out of seven would eventually show some results.

So, how many days have I done this?

Zero.

I also wanted to cut back on carbs, which hasn’t happened yet (sigh). Notice I said yet. There’s still time…

Another goal was to start journaling, which I even posted about. I opted for the ‘Morning Pages’ option but have only managed several mornings. 

But, alas…not all is lost. There ARE a couple of things I’ve managed to accomplish:

1. Cut Back on Social Media—I used to start and end my day scrolling, not to mention checking it many times throughout the day. No more! I’ve done well with this one, only scrolling a few times throughout the day and limiting the number of minutes I spend on it.

2. Cut Back on News - I became a news junkie in 2016 when the US elected someone unthinkable as our President. For the first time in my life, I went to bed every night worried about what headlines I’d wake up to. I felt compelled to keep a constant vigil on what was happening (similar to monitoring small children and refusing to turn your back for a minute, fearful of what might happen.) I stopped the habit and now check the current news twice a day, morning and evening, limiting it to roughly ten to fifteen minutes.

I do feel less stressed and am certain that’s attributable to these changes!

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Despite not making progress with the other goals, I’m going to take the simple advice I often give others:

Start over.

All is not lost simply because we skipped the treadmill or ate a candy bar. Despite societal pressures to look and do better, we must continually remind ourselves that we’re human. And being human means we’ll mess up from time to time.

That’s okay…each day affords another opportunity to begin again. We must pick ourselves up, do some positive self-talk, and get back in the game.

Because in the words of a woman who faced an extreme amount of adversity but refused to give up:

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• Thanks for reading!

• If your own resolutions haven’t gone as planned, don’t beat yourself up. That’s the worst thing you can do. Just recommit and choose a day that works best to start again (even if that’s not tomorrow!)

• The only resolution that I accomplished and stuck to occurred in 2012. I finally gave up (for good) an on-again, off-again smoking habit acquired in my youth. What made me quit? It wasn’t a patch or a pill (although those do work for some people.) For me, it took getting to a place where I liked myself again.

In a lifetime of resolutions, was there one that you accomplished in perpetuity?

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