At the start of a new year, many people see the occasion as an opportunity to make a New Year’s Resolution, a commitment to make a change in the coming year.
For many people, these resolutions are lifestyle-related and involve activities or habits aimed at ‘improving’ or ‘fixing’ their bodies and/or health, while others might focus on commitments to spend time doing particular activities or other habits that they wish to develop that year. Most people find it easy to answer whether or not they’ve made a New Year’s Resolution; they either share their resolution or admit they haven’t made one. However, for those of us living with chronic illnesses, long-term impairments or ongoing health issues, this question can be quite a difficult one to answer; not because we’re not able to respond, but because the concept of New Year’s Resolutions can be difficult thing to contemplate if your day to day life can be challenging in itself.
Our daily lives are often challenging and unpredictable, perhaps accompanied by chronic pain and other long-term symptoms or impairments. We may also have to negotiate the difficulties of living in a world designed for people who are fully fit and able-bodied, not for those who need to live and work more flexibly, perhaps with adjustments, and who may have different ways of getting around other than walking.
Consequently, the idea of making a ‘New Year’s Resolution’ can feel somewhat contrived when considered alongside the complex combination of symptoms, such as chronic pain, and other difficulties, like accessing buildings, which we manage day to day. Especially on days when simply getting to the end of the day — having succeeded in taking care of your body and mind in a world that is largely inaccessible — is an achievement in itself. So, while resolutions may be helpful for some, my thoughts on the subject are that it’s much more beneficial to focus on putting one foot, stick, or wheel in front of the other and living each day, facing any challenges it may bring as they come.
You don’t need to make big changes or huge commitments at the start of a new year. Sometimes, just getting through another day and looking after yourself is the best thing you can do, and something that should be celebrated in itself. So instead, I try to focus on the here and now, taking each day as it comes, and not worrying about tomorrow until it arrives. What are your self-care thoughts or ideas?
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