Ditch Diet Culture in 2024: 5 Anti-Diet New Year’s Resolutions
For many people, the start of a new year signifies a fresh desire to set resolutions for things you want to accomplish or change in your life.
Unfortunately, many New Year’s resolutions are centered around diet and weight loss, which can be triggering for those in recovery from an eating disorder or struggling with disordered eating. In turn, dieting and weight loss companies have taken advantage of this trend, pushing out unrealistic, harmful diet culture messaging at an alarming rate during the new year.
With diet-focused resolutions being thrown around left and right, it can be challenging to set goals for the year that support your recovery. The good news is that there’s an abundance of healthy resolutions that don’t involve food, exercise, or body image.
Side note: It's perfectly okay NOT to set goals or resolutions for the new year. Always remember to do what's best for your health and healing journey.
How to Approach Anti-Diet New Year’s Resolutions
Before setting resolutions for the new year, it's essential that you keep your recovery in mind. If you don't know where to start, an easy way to approach anti-diet resolutions is to simply brainstorm and write down all of the goals or things you want to accomplish in the new year.
After making your list, carefully review and revise each goal to ensure it is meaningful and healthy for your recovery journey. Here are some questions to keep in mind as you review your resolutions:
Is this goal truly attainable and sustainable long term?
Will this goal positively or negatively impact my overall mental health?
Was this goal influenced by diet culture messaging? (If not, where did this goal stem from?)
Is this goal based on changing my outward appearance or aesthetics?
Is this goal based on what my body needs or what can positively influence my health? Or is it centered around what society defines as healthy?
Remember that this list is not all-inclusive. If you answered yes to these questions or you feel that a resolution doesn't fully support your recovery, it's a surefire sign that you should re-evaluate your goals for the new year. As always, talk with your providers or recovery allies if you need a sounding board.
5 Anti-Diet Resolutions for 2024
Even though new goals and habits can be created at any time, the start of a new year can feel like a clear and fresh starting point. If you're not sure where to begin, here are 5 anti-diet New Year's resolutions that are healthy, positive, and attainable.
1. Reassess your social media
While social media may give us the opportunity to learn and connect with others, it can also be a huge detriment to our mental health. Especially for those in eating disorder recovery, it's essential to unfollow any accounts that promote diet culture messaging, those whom you compare yourself to, or accounts that are otherwise triggering. Did you know you can edit your settings around sensitive topics? Check out these instructions for help: Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Instead, take some time to fill your feed with accounts that support recovery-positive messaging, the anti-diet movement, body positivity, and so on. It can also be beneficial to take intentional breaks from social media when it's no longer serving you.
2. Create a gratitude practice
Practicing gratitude can be a powerful way to improve your emotional well-being and stay present when feeling stressed or anxious. In the beginning, it may be challenging to brainstorm things you’re grateful for, but remember that they can be as complex or simple as you’d like!
Not sure where to start? Here are some suggestions for developing a gratitude practice:
Throughout each day, pay close attention to things that bring you joy and happiness – no matter how big or small!
At the end of the day, write down a few things you feel grateful for.
Create a gratitude journal to keep track of your daily entries.
Express gratitude both inwardly toward yourself and outwardly to others.
Note: There is no right or wrong way to practice gratitude! The most important part is that you’re conscious and intentional about reflecting on the areas of life you feel thankful for.
3. Write in a journal
Keeping a journal is a simple and beneficial method for making sense of your thoughts and feelings, practicing mindfulness, and reducing stress and anxiety. Journaling can allow you to get to know yourself better by delving into your deepest thoughts and emotions, but it can also be a great way to reflect on each day.
For those who are unfamiliar with journaling or want more structure, prompts are the way to go.
Here are some journaling prompts to get you started:
What are my short-term and long-term goals?
If I could tell my younger self anything, what would it be?
If I could tell my future self anything, what would it be?
What does a healthy and full recovery look like for me?
What do I feel grateful for right now?
If journaling prompts aren’t your thing, another popular method is free-hand journaling where you simply jot down whatever comes to mind. Again, there is no right or wrong way to journal – the important part is that it works for you and your healing journey.
4. Try out a new hobby
If there's a hobby you've always wanted to learn or try, the new year can be the perfect time to start. Having hobbies that you're passionate about can be beneficial for those in recovery, as they may help fill the time that might otherwise be spent engaging in disordered thoughts or behaviors.
Some examples of fun hobbies to try out in the new year include:
Reading
Knitting/Crocheting
Drawing/Painting
Learning a new language
Learning an instrument
Photography
Gardening
Always remember that hobbies are supposed to be fun, and in no way do you have to be perfect at them. If you aren't sure where to begin, try out a few different options to see what piques your interest.
5. Engage in self-care habits
One of the best ways to improve emotional well-being and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety is to regularly engage in meaningful self-care activities. While this may look different for everyone, the new year is a great time to examine how much time you’ve truly been putting into taking care of yourself both mentally and physically.
If you’ve been struggling with self-care, here are some examples of healthy and positive self-care habits:
Meditation
Journaling
Calling a loved one
Yoga/Stretching
Deep breathing
Each day, remind yourself to set aside at least 5 minutes to engage in one or more self- care activities – even just a few minutes can help you feel less stressed and more mentally relaxed!
Takeaway
All in all, there is no right or wrong way to set resolutions going into the new year – in fact, you don’t even have to set any at all! But if you’re currently in recovery and are struggling with the new year approaching, don’t fall into the diet culture trap and keep these anti-diet resolutions in mind. Check out VERY’s RecoVERY Community for more support in 2024. Disordered eating thrives in isolation. With the RecoVERY Community, anyone can find expert education, meal support, and belonging. Happy New Year!
