My new year’s resolution? Be kinder to myself

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It’s Christmas!” New year adverts: “Look at what you’ve done to yourself, you fat sack of s***.” It’s suddenly no longer encouraged to start drinking in the morning – or at all, for those doing Dry January – making a sandwich with turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, brie, cranberry sauce, bread sauce and parsnips is less culinary genius and more greedy and gross, and reaching for a chocolate every five minutes just isn’t as acceptable. According to Mental Health First Aid, some 29 per cent of people say they feel pressured to set new year’s resolutions, with more of Gen Z than any other generation reporting these feelings. If you want to exercise, try to predominately focus on the achievement it brings you when you do it, or the positive way it makes you feel afterwards, rather than end goals like losing weight.” January can be a really bleak month; it’s basically a seemingly never-ending winter without the festive cheer. With all sorts of different research showing that those that do set resolutions have usually quit them before January is up, I’m making the wise decision of not setting any at all.