It’s time to cancel the Negative Nancy who tags us in snazzy pessimist memes, because we all need motivation for retaining our resolutions.
“New Year resolutions are outdated, grow up and face the fact that nothing changes other than your calendar,” a Negative Nancy said to me as she scrolled past New Year posts. “New-year-new-me” is a fad and only naively optimistic people still make a list of resolutions, you know,” she added. Under normal circumstances, I would have nodded with a bemused “I know it, right” smile, but for some reason, I believed in the positive “you can do it,
sis” vibe on Instagram. In an increasingly depressive era and impending graduation, (for third-year students) believing that you have the ability to turn your life around by sheer strength of character is a feat in itself. So, heartiest congratulations if you lined up some goals for 2019, for your positivity hasn’t been reduced to sordid nihilism. Your soul is still safe, protect it.
According to the surveys conducted by World Health Organisation, India is the most depressed country in the world
and the truth of this statement can be seen with a glance across our classrooms. Something like depression or anxiety
won’t be overtly seen, but if we see our peers, and ourselves, either fall in the hopeless hustle mode or the hopeless
dawdle, both of which leave some with heavy breathing. In today’s world when understanding of self- care is becoming synonymous with consumerism, thanks to capitalism that has reduced this pious term to face masks and
scented candles, retaining a hopeful outlook is almost revolutionary self-care. The assumed “practicality” around
ambitions may seem unachievable, however, we must retain a wholesome attitude towards life.
So, it has been nine days into 2019, if you are still sticking to your goals then kudos, if your motivation is fraying then read on for tips to retain the optimism.
1. There is no such thing as small goals: Setting unrealistic goals is the first mistake we make. Instead of making a five-day workout schedule, aim for going just one day and do it, this will retain the feeling of accomplishment. One workout a week sounds less, but at the hindsight, by the end of the year you’ll have done a total of 52 workouts when giving up would just mean zero.
2. Set reminders: You are 42 per cent more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down (according to psychology professor Dr Gail Matthews of Dominican University’s Study). So set up reminders on your Google calendar about long-term goals. The regular pings will remind,shame, and nag you into doing tasks.
3. Declutter your life: Delete the useless images from your gallery, remove the apps you don’t use, clear your bag, chug the redundant dried up pens, block toxic people from your social media, finally reply to the pending texts, make space in your closet, phone storage, and life. It’s never too late to start clearing. A clean space keeps one inspired.
4. Self-care: Simple tasks like changing nail paint, drinking warm water, having a movie break are useful in sprucing up our mood. Beware of indulging too much and falling into the binge-watching trap.
5. Have less, to be more: Instead of mindlessly spending on sale items, invest in quality pieces. It’s always better to have a flawless pair of Chelsea boots than owning three ugly loafers. Preaching minimalism to 20-year-olds seems saint-like, but the critique of having less isn’t about ownership, but of the importance we assign only to the “things”, often forsaking the experience, relationships, and growth. The feeling of “not having anything to wear” goes out of the window when our wardrobe consists of things we truly appreciate, and those things are only accumulated when we buy because we really need or like an item, in place of making purchases just because it’s sale season.
We believe you can achieve your resolutions, 2019 is the time to shine! We all stan a motivated queen!
Feature Image Credits: Duluth News Tribune
Niharika Dabral
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