Essay: New Year's Resolutions About Survival Are Valid and Needed

By Rebel Tipton

Capitalism will tell you that you are never doing enough. You aren't cleaning enough, you aren't making enough, you aren't even shitting enough. That's right, your productivity is down in the bowel department and HR is going to have a talk with you this afternoon. 

While I could just sit here and tell you to simply not listen to these voices, it's not quite enough to say it once, is it? To see a meme on Instagram or an anti-capitalist self-care manifesto on TikTok and simply decide you're worth it. Maybe it works in the moment, but you slip right back into feeling like your life just isn't enough in this world. 

So my plea to you is to challenge yourself to not complete a challenge. Perfect attendance awards have never been in vogue. Don't feel guilty about taking a day off or being sick. You are human. You are worthy. Simply don't track every single book on Goodreads. Go to the gym simply because you love the feeling of running on the treadmill while listening to a true crime podcast. Or to hear your heart beating despite everything the world shoves at you. Disturb people in public by skipping to the bus stop. Eat an entire block of cheddar cheese. Give the cheese as gifts. 

Silly suggestions aside, your priority during dark times is to find things that give you light. These past few years have proven to us all that we can't go on doing what we've been doing. So when feeling pressured to make a resolution, remember that survival is just as valid of a resolution, if not much more important, than yet another Goodreads or gym challenge. 

Surviving so you can thrive later is pure magic.