Breaking down 'Janxiety'
A familiar feeling for many of us, Janxiety is a tumble back from the holiday high into daily reality — often triggered by a string of broken resolutions in January
The new year and January bring with it not only new hope but also a fair amount of anxiety. Everyone presumes that with the change of the calendar, something miraculous will happen. They presume that they will start off on their endeavours to be the 'best version' of themselves, failing to realise that this is merely wishful thinking.
It is now the middle of the first month of the new year. By now, most of us have either realised that 2021 is no different than every other year in terms of our resolutions and motivation. If you made resolutions (very likely that you did), then it is time to take charge and reflect on how are you trudging along on them.
What are new year's resolutions?
A new year's resolution started off as a tradition in which a person would resolve to change undesired behaviour and continue good practices. Though these were supposed to be motivational, often they end up making us feel bad about ourselves.
The most common resolutions from around the world are 'exercise to get in shape', 'diet' 'save money', 'cut out vices like smoking and drinking ' and 'self-care'.
Why do they fail?
Statistics show that as many as a whopping 92 per cent of new year's resolutions fail by end of January, causing people distress and anxiety. Most common reasons for failure are :
Resolutions made are vague — for example exercise or lose weight, rather than specifically mentioning target, strategy and plan of action.
Wording the resolutions in a negative manner rather than positive. For eg., 'Do Not' do this, or 'Avoid' or 'Stay away' from rather than in a positive affirming manner.
Herd mentality and not choosing a goal that is specific and relevant to the person.
Individuals treat the resolutions like a sprint and not a marathon, trying to seek instant gratification and results.
Most individuals don't believe in themselves to start off and these 'limiting beliefs' show in their behaviour.
Does that mean you stop making them?
Do not stop embarking upon a journey of self-improvement. Resolutions and goal setting, in general, are highly encouraged by leaders, corporates and even life coaches to be able to work in a specific direction. Here are some ways you can work on your resolutions since it is still a new year.
Stop calling them resolutions: For starters, think of them in terms of 'milestones' or your own fun word rather than resolutions or goals, as both these words have an instinctive connotation of either achievement or failure. Just by changing how your word these tasks can make a whole lot of difference. In fact, one of the best things is to think of these in terms of lifestyle changes and habits.
Don't attempt to change too many things at once: This is a sure-shot way to set yourself up for failure.
Be SMART: Let your goals be 'Specific', 'Measurable', 'Attainable', 'Realistic' and 'Time-bound' rather than just aimlessly shooting arrows in all directions.
Celebrate small victories: All milestones should be celebrated, irrespective of big and small. This keeps the motivation going.
Use failure as a learning tool: Don't shy away from failure, learn from it. Get up, dust yourself and start all over again.
And finally, don't just enjoy the destination, enjoy the journey as well.
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