COVID-19 Blog Series: COVID Resolutions
I was having a conversation with a friend recently, and she said that she wanted to exercise more frequently and come out of this pandemic with a “COVID body.” It immediately reminded me of New Year’s resolutions that countless people make every year. How many of us have made a resolution and stopped going to the gym, eating salads everyday, or reading more?
Similarly, we can be tempted to create “COVID resolutions.” These goals are not bad. They can help to bring some structure to all this time at home. However, long lasting changes often begin with small and consistent steps rather than a massive effort. Here are some ways that might help you think about your own “COVID resolutions.”
Set only one or two goals. If you are trying to make too many changes in your life, it’ll be easy to get discouraged. Trying to be healthier, read more books, and learn a new skill are all major changes in your life. Is it better to try to change all of it at once or to make small victories and then move to the next change?
Set realistic goals. Make sure that your goals are realistic goals. If you have never gone for a jog or a run, it’s unrealistic to believe that you can run 3 miles without stopping. Having realistic goals can also give you more motivation, because you can reach those goals and achieve them. That achievement can often inspire more ambitious goals.
Small steps for your goals. Now that you’ve set a realistic goal, you need think about the small steps for reaching it. I’ve always wanted to do 50 push-ups in a row without stopping. Unfortunately, I can barely do 5 without collapsing. However, during this pandemic, I’ve been consistent in doing a few push-ups every day. Sometimes I can do up to 10 or 15, some days I do only 5. What was important was that I did some everyday. I didn’t try to do a lot on my first day, because it was more important to build the habit of working on it before trying to achieve my goal.
Whatever it is you want to do to improve yourself, always start small. Begin where you think you can easily achieve it. Then, slowly build from there and, in no time at all, you’ll be at your goal or even beyond!
