As the new year approaches, many will be thinking of what resolutions they should make for 2025. New Year’s Resolutions can be really positive, and help to make powerful changes to your life, but they can also be damaging and lead to extreme behaviour which can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health.
Unfortunately, many resolutions and the accompanying marketing and social media pressure is focused around changing your bodies. Often, it’s about healthy eating, losing weight, or building muscle and looking different. But that sets a dangerous precedent, which says that failure means eating “badly” or not exercising “enough” and success is being thin, lean and muscley. Sadly, this can lead to disordered eating and progress to a full-blown eating disorder if not dealt with swiftly and effectively. Read our article about when healthy eating can be dangerous to understand the potential damage this kind of resolution can cause.
It may not seem a “big deal”, but this pressure to be thin and negativity around normal, healthy body shapes can lead to really bad body image developing. Once people feel bad about the way they look, they can turn to dangerous eating patterns and exercise habits to achieve the bodies they feel they need. Severely restricting calories, or exercising excessively can have very negative impact on your health and wellbeing.
That’s why we want to encourage you all to think carefully about the resolutions you make and what you post on social media or share with friends and family, who might be adversely affected by it.
The Dangers of the New Year, New You Messaging
We loved reading this article by Felicity Hayward all about the dangers of “new year, new you” posts and marketing. She slammed brands for preying on people’s insecurities to make profit and the cycle of indulgence at Christmas, followed by dieting and exercise in January, which is all about the money.
But it’s not just the brands that are pushing the messaging of weight-loss and the ideal size or shape. Magazines, celebrities, influencers and even friends often push this out over social media and share stories of their incredible transformations. This can be inspiring, but it can also be depressing and highly unrealistic, leading to unachievable shapes and unhealthy diet and exercise regimes.
In the article, Felicity encouraged people to be mindful of the social media content they consume and take control of the messaging they are receiving in their feeds. She said, “”unfollow people who are promoting unrealistic body image, and follow people who inspire you”, which is certainly a message we would agree with.
Setting the right resolutions
It can be hard to resist the pressure to lose weight and set goals at the start of the new year, which is why setting the right resolutions can really help. Here are a few to consider, which aren’t based around dieting or exercise.
- I will commit to self-care in 2025 – This is a great one, as it opens up a world of positive habits and encourages you to be kind and compassionate to yourself. You could try journalling, meditation, yoga, incorporating “me time” into your week, reading, playing or listening to music, or simply taking a walk. Whatever makes you feel good, reduces stress and resets your energy levels is perfect.
- I will practice gratitude – This is a very simple, but surprisingly powerful habit, which will make you feel more positive and shift your outlook and mindset.
- I will try a new hobby or learn a new skill – Learning, self-development and getting out of a routine or comfort zone are all great things to do and offer lots of opportunities for fun, meeting new people, building confidence and to improving yourself one way or the other.
- I will drink more water – Dehydration can make us feel really bad and impact our health and the way we look. So, making a decision to drink more water every day is a simple and effective change you can make for the year ahead. There are some great bottles which help with that goal too by tracking the amount you’re drinking during the course of the day.
- Reduce and control social media time – Social media and media consumption in general is often a body image crusher and something which makes us feel bad about the way we look, or the things we do. The less time you spend on these platforms, the more time you have for fun, engaging and positive pursuits and the less time you’ll spend comparing yourself to others. Limiting your time and carefully choosing who to follow and who to unfollow, can make a real difference on how you feel, so take back control!
What to Avoid
If you have poor body image, or issues around food and weight, you need to check in with yourself and make sure any goals you’re setting yourself for 2025, or for a shorter period, are not reinforcing your negative thoughts or actions.
We’d recommend staying away from particular numbers to hit, such as weight on the scales, or calories per day and be more open and flexible with the results of any changes you are planning to make. Focus on feeling better, or having more energy, rather than weighing a certain amount, or being a certain size.
We’d also suggest that you give yourself time to make changes and incorporate them in a measured way, to avoid extreme behaviour. Gradual, sensible, but sustained change is healthier and more impactful than faddy eating or fitness regimes, which can lead to ill health and injury.
Don’t feel pressure to share your goals, or go along with others, if you are feeling uncomfortable, or it’s feeling unhealthy. There’s no need to set any resolutions, or share them with friends and family members, if that’s not working for you.
The only one to always try and aim for is to be kind to yourself and practice self-love whenever possible, never trying to be anyone but your amazing, authentic self.
Seeking help
If you find yourself focusing on the negative and feeling bad about your body or the way you look, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are lots of people you can talk to and techniques you can try to build your confidence and start feeling happy in your own skin. Seeking help when you need it is a real strength, not a weakness and should never be felt to be shameful.
This is particularly true if your feelings of poor body image and lack of self-esteem lead to restricted eating, extreme exercise, or binging and purging. Eating disorders can be dangerous and even fatal and must be taken as a serious health issue which need treatment.
If you can be brave and admit you have a problem in the very early stages, treatment will be much easier and lasting health impacts mitigated. Eating disorder treatment is highly effective and with the right support you will be feeling so much better and be able to face life with energy, enthusiasm and positivity again.
Make the new year the time when you ask for the help you need and tackle any eating disorders head on. You’ll be so pleased you did!
Contact us to find out more about our eating disorder treatment centre.
