Resolution revolution
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By Carissa Sitki
Every year, I go to war with myself trying to keep my New Year’s resolutions. I go into January with the best intentions, I do, but my will power is lacking at best.
The Babylonians are said to be the first to make New Year’s resolutions, which began around 4,000 years ago. They would make promises at the start of the year, in order to gain favor with their Gods. If they broke their resolutions, they believed they would fall on the bad side of those Gods— that probably incentivized them to keep their promises.
However, I’m sure there were some ancient Babylonians who were more like the modern-day resolvers, more like myself. They’d make plans to do better, but fall short.
I, like so many people, will hold onto my resolution for a little while, before inevitably settling back into my old ways. Last year was a prime example of my make ’n break resolution habit.
As soon as December 2020 came around, I decided I was going to give up social media. I have been “over it” for years, but it really has a hold on me— I love staying in touch with old friends and seeing what distant family members are up to; those are the positive aspects that have kept me scrolling around. Unfortunately for me, though, I have this terrible habit of comparing my life to the lives of my peers who I perceive to be doing so much more.
It had gotten to the point where I felt like I didn’t measure up and would log out feeling rather empty inside. The truth is, many of us compare our lives to other people’s online personas. But those online personas are just that, personas. No one’s life is actually perfect and we’re all on our own journeys.
Anyway, back to my main point. I started this year off strong, Jan. 1, 2021 at midnight, I deleted my social media accounts. I felt so much lighter.
I didn’t have an immediate craving for a quick log-in, but it slowly built until I found myself “fiending” for my next social media fix. And to add insult to injury, having an online presence is practically essential to perform my work as a news reporter. Keeping up with the various community organizations and current events is difficult when you’re not connected through online platforms.
That is the excuse I gave when I reactivated my accounts. I said, “I need this for work,” which inevitably lead to me using it for non-work-related scrolling as well.
This year, I’m not going to fool myself into believing I will be able to give up social media for good, but I plan to use it less. I’m going to try to use it strictly for work.
So, if you’re like me and struggle with keeping your New Year’s resolutions, you’re certainly not alone. Maybe start small. Give up something you know you can easily live without and then go bigger next year. Baby steps, friends. Let’s all bow our heads and pray for strength.
