MAKE 2022 START OF SOMETHING GOOD, AFTER WORST OF TIMES IN 2021

TARA COLLUM | Contributing columnist

It’s time to put Auld Lang Syne on the Victrola, it’s the start of another new year.

Does it feel to anyone else like it’s been 2020 for about two years now?

Some sayings don’t truly hit home without lived life experience, like we never know what the future brings, a phrase that has never been more literal.

It’s a time for renewal. Turning over a fresh page. Facing a new calendar.

What will we do? What do we want to start now that we will be proud of for doing at this time next year?

Unfortunately, we never know how much time we have. It’s often said that the only things people regret are not the things they have done, but the things they haven’t done.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions?

My standard answer used to be my resolution is to not make resolutions. But now I try to think of it as the best time to start something is now.

Sometimes we jump the gun and make an investment before we know if will pay off. Like buying a gym membership without having a consistent exercise regime first.

There is debate about how long it takes for something to become a habit, with experts claiming it can take anywhere from 21 days to months.

We are creatures of habit, and maybe scheduling or following a daily or weekly routine can help get us on track.

Resolutions aren’t like wishes; they are more like promises to our present and future selves. Change doesn’t have to be huge or drastic, but small consistent steps.

To do things that aren’t naturally fun, we can hijack our brain by rewarding ourselves and triggering a sweet dopamine rush by activating the pleasure circuitry in our brain.

Before we buy fancy running shoes as a way to motivate ourselves to jog, we can get a pair of Giant Tiger joggers, and buy ourselves the latest top of the line model as a reward for jogging every day for a month.

I find it helpful to not beat myself up for not doing something. Guilt isn’t a positive motivator. If you honestly flat out hate jogging if you give it a good solid go, it could be that walking is more your speed. Any movement for any length of time is better than nothing.

But is exercising even what you want to be doing? Or it is pressure from commercials, and equipment being on sale? Or is it on sale because it’s the time of year when people gravitate towards transformation, like Halloween naturally being the biggest season for Value Village and second-hand shopping.

Even if you don’t want to change a thing, it can be a good time for reflection and tweaks.

Our goals don’t always have to be major either. Small things like opening the window on sunny days, listening to the radio more often, or sticking to screen time limits can make a difference.

Trying new things, and seeing what sticks is a good way to get out of a rut.

Even though it may seem like it sometimes, we might not always have the luxury of time.

Hopefully by this time next year at least, the pandemic will be seriously for real this time be  behind us.

Then we can dance in the streets, and party like the celebration of the end of a world war.

Happy New Year everyone and stay safe.