No that is not a typo in my post title, as the only new ‘yew’ I want to hear about is the planting of new trees.
I have a post about how walking can help improve body acceptance sitting in my drafts that I’ve been meaning to flesh out (pun intended!) for a while. It had occurred to me that January would be a good time to do this as it’s traditionally the month when people are most body-concious, however that got me thinking about New Year’s Resolutions and the loathsome phrase ‘New Year, New You’ and I realised that ranting about that would be more than enough to fill a post. So let’s get to it…
On the face of it ‘New Year, New You’ is the same as any of the other advertising slogans and taglines we are subjected to throughout the year. Next up will be the commercialised romance of Valentine’s shortly followed by sales ploys for Mother’s Day, Easter, Summer Holidays etc etc. However something about the New Year onsalught seems worse than the rest. I think the other holidays are less manipulative and are simply used as an excuse to celebrate with friends and family. Whereas ‘New Year, New You’ plays on people’s feelings of inadequacy, the fear that they are not good enough all to benefit the big corporations.
It may sound like I’m being a bit melodramatic, I mean it’s just a phrase isn’t it? Surely it’s just a harmless bit of alliteration? But let us never forget the power of language – the pen is mightier than the sword, or pehraps the typesetter is mightier than the sword. If the tagline had been a one-off then it may not have been that bad but this tagline has been trotted out year after year for as long as I can remember. Every year it returns to reinforce the message that because the earth has completed another evolution of the sun it is now time for us to reinvent ourselves.
If you think about it ‘New Year, New Year’ implies that there is an ‘old you’ that needs to be replaced. When an applicance, for example a kettle, is old and worn-out, we discard the old one and replace it with a new one. However people are not appliances. It seems bizarre to have to make this very obvious statement but apparently it is stil necessary, as major corporations still appear to view as appliances. Out with the old and in with the new. And while playing on people’s fears continues to sell stock, they will continue to use these tactics which means it is down to us to tell them no.
I’m already sick of seeing adverts for weight-loss plans and exercise regimes. People are not appliances, they are organic, this means they will naturally change & evolve. You know what else changes? Trees. If you look at a tree now you will see that its branches are bare, but do we belittle the tree for its lack of foliage? No because we know that come spring the leaves will return again. The tree will not become a new tree, it will be the same tree as it is now however it will change and adapt to suit its surroundings. The tree still provides shelter for the wildlife, it still has a barren beauty and is as appreciated now as it will be later in the year. So why don’t we show humans the same respect?
While humans do not hibernate (more’s the pity) winter is a time to slow down, to rest & relax. This may mean gaining a few pounds but who cares? Why must we instantly be made to feel guilty about this? Notably by the very same companies that were encouraging us to gorge ourselves only a few days earlier. I recently discovered the term ‘Wintering’ which was coined by author Katherine May as a time when we slow down, to allow our bodies time to rest and recuperate. I like this term as it helps to explain the idea that basically we just need to do whatever we can to survive the bleaker months. Which is why it seems even more ridiculous to use this time to suddenly put ourselves under unnecessary pressure to either stop or cut-out anything we enjoy or take on a raft of new challenges. And yet each year people do it and each year they wonder why it hasn’t worked?
For what it’s worth I’m not entirely opposed to resolutions, there is nothing wrong with wanting to make improvements to your life but just be careful and be honest about the motivation for making these changes. Is it because you genuinely want to or is it because you feel pressure to from the media or friends & family? If you do decide to go ahead with some resolutions I would encourage you to think carefully about the language you use, even when it’s just to yourself. Try to make it a realistic and achievable goal. Often people want to stop doing something but for most people going ‘cold turkey’ is extremely difficult so perhaps aim to ‘reduce’ rather than ‘stop’. Instead of taking on a challenge which sounds like a chore, such as doing more exercise, why not try and include more movement into your routine? But again this should only be if you genuinely want to, if you are happy as you are then simply resolve to carry on with more of the same.
If you are not sure about resolutions why not try to think of 5 moments you were happiest / most content over the last year and then think of ways you could increase those moments in the coming year. You may have enjoyed a lovely walk and wish to walk more this year, if so see if there are ways you can add walking into your weekly routine. My final tip would be that even if you decide that you do want to make changes to your life there is no law that states this can only be done in January. You may decide that you want to carry on as you are in order to get through the winter months and then when spring arrives – the season of new buds, new cubs, new beginnings – this will be the time you embrace the changes to your lifesyle. But whatever you decide to do, you will still be the same complicated, flawed and fabulous you, just perhaps with a slightly different lifestyle. New Year, Same You.
I feel I need to bring this back to walking so if you are about to embark on a bout of self-reflection a walk is a great way to do this 😉 Especially if you take a walk that includes some trees, take note of how they look now and then go back in another month or so, you’ll notice the changes but that also it is unmistakably the same tree.
As for me I resolve to carry on being the same delightful me who enjoys blogging and writing. Happy New Year!
That’s how I stroll.
Soothing Strolls 
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