A Fresh {Restart}: 11 Resolutions Anyone Can Do in 2022

Last year I wrote 11 Super Easy Resolutions That Even You Can Do, and then and only did about eight-and-a-half of them. I don’t know if that says less about me as a writer or a doer or a pragmatist. But regardless, I am back to try again. That’s what resolutions are for anyways, right?

For 2022, I am offering up another 11 resolutions that I believe anyone can do, though I won’t label them as “super easy” because, I don’t know, personal growth or something. Here is a new set of resolutions for the next 12 months, which clocks out to less than one a month!

1. Take more deep breaths.

Pros: They’re free and they feel really good. They give you a chance to take a beat before reacting and or reacting poorly. Cons: You might think you look silly in public taking a deep, chesty breath or two. But if you’re feeling self conscious about it, just take a deep breath and it should roll right off you.

2. Talk less about COVID.

This one is going to be hard, because like the caseloads, the conversations are everywhere. The problem with Covid conversations is they rarely lead you to any productive outcome and are usually wrought with negativity (and not the good, testing kind). I really hope our 2022 lives make this easy to accomplish.

3. Make an anonymous donation.

It doesn’t have to be a big amount! Just give something to someone else that doesn’t call attention to your good deed. Think of it as a juicy secret that only you know, and if that’s not enough of a motivator, I can promise you that you’ll feel vastly superior to others! FUN!

4. Watch a little less trashy TV.

I am not asking you to go cold turkey, which is probably some shitty new show on Fox where a C-list celebrity, disguised in a turkey mask, has to see how long they can stay submerged in a pool of ice water. I know we all watch stuff to take a mental break from the rigors of life. But what if we just spent a little less time watching hot junk, which is probably some shitty new Netflix dating show where contestants put their privates as close to a flame as possible.

5. Stretch!

While you’re making slightly better television choices, you can pop off the couch for a few minutes and get on the floor. I know our parents told us that our vision would go if we sat closer to the TV, but our vision is getting worse from spending 23 hours a day on screens. Stretching is my number one focus this year. I’ve heard it’s great for nagging body parts, and even most un-nagging ones. Plus, have you ever heard anyone say that stretching made things worse?

6. Be more positive.

This should be a mindset or mantra, and is going to take time. No one will figure it out by January or February. It’s about actively trying to accentuate the positive and building a pattern or habit of it. You can do it! See? I am already doing it!

8. Appreciate your allies, even when they aren’t actively allying.

Again with the positivity! Your allies don’t get a blank check, but they’ve done lots of work on your behalf and it is important to remember and acknowledge that, even when you are not benefitting from them.

9. Hydrate!

Water is one of the best things for your health. It’s not as fun as soda or coffee or juice, but I’d prefer to save fun for things like hobbies. During the week, try downing an extra glass of water before lunch and another after.

10. Become less dependent on your phone for tasks you can do yourself.

That doesn’t have to mean setting some kind of time limit on it! It’s more about being present in moments and using your big, beautiful brain to solve spur of the moment problems. You don’t need that calculator to figure out who owes what at a group dinner. Try to actually remember what the heck movie that person was in, before you go to IMDB (It was West Wing, and she was Zoey Bartlett’s secret service handler… and she also was the wife in Memento). Solving it on your own will feel infinitely better than saving a couple minutes of time.

11. Catch up with a friend/family member you haven’t talked to in a while.

You’ll know you’ve selected the right person if it feels awkward going into it. But you’ll feel lighter and fuller after it’s over. There’s so many things to talk about, just not COVID.

BONUS CONTENT!!!

12. Put in more effort.

I saved the biggest, baddest one for last. Everyday there are lots of tiny decisions we make, which often come down to how convenient one side is. Things like whether or not to take the trash out tonight or wait for someone else to do it tomorrow. Or doing one more set of push ups. Or moving the dishes from the sink to the dishwasher. Or putting on jeans and meeting a friend who is in the neighborhood. Individually, these are easy things to do, and even cumulatively, they aren’t asking too much.

It’s not even asking for the figurative 110 percent, but more like 102 percent, over time. YOU GOT THIS!