Try a Social Media Mini Cleanse

The truth is, most of us don’t fit the mainstream standard of beauty, and scrolling through Instagram can take you down a rabbit hole of insecurity. You start off by liking Cardi B. memes, but you end up clicking a link for a waist trainer. We are all beautiful, and being in shape doesn’t mean you have to be slim. 

It’s not just about logging out. Follow Fat Femme Jessamyn Stanley for yoga at any size. If you’re in love with all things literary, Minda Honey is a writer from the South who posts about the best places to be your beautiful self. Her recent tribute to Toni Morrison just before the beloved author’s death inspired a whole new generation of Morrison fans. 

One last tip: Don’t announce that you’re signing off. This is about you. Getting a bunch of likes and comments will only create more notifications, which might bring you right back online. Try logging out of all your social media accounts—even if it’s just for a day.

Rejoice in Your Restart

Treat yourself to a day of what makes you happy and celebrate the fact that you are refocusing on what matters to you. With everything we have on our plates, it’s important to recognize how far we’ve come. 

Get some index cards, sticky notes, or random scraps of paper. Empty out a shoebox or cereal box, or any container really. For every year you’ve been on this planet, write something positive about yourself and your journey. It can be something simple like “I am smart” or something more complicated like “I stood up for Tina when Joe made an inappropriate comment about her body.” You do dozens of little things every day that you may not think about, but they’re worth celebrating. 

We can be our own worst enemy when it comes to progress. That inner voice often bullies us more than anyone so it’s important to shower yourself with compliments. You are great at a lot of things. This exercise encourages you to be happy with who you are right now. And on those days when you feel like giving up, open up the box and splurge on compliments.

You’re phenomenal right now. Celebrate yourself.

Partner Up

Enlist a partner to keep you accountable for working toward your goals. And this doesn’t have to be one of your friends—an accountability partner can be anyone, even someone in an online professional group. 

You can connect with folks from a conference or summit who have similar goals. Dr. Farima’s model for affinity groups is really empowering, especially for women of color. Having a safe space to share your journey can improve your chances of reaching your goals. As a wise woman once said, “There’s an app for that.” 

Make a Vision Board

This is an oldie but goodie. Psychology Today, Teen Vogue, Whitney Wolfe Herd (Bumble CEO + founder), and even the brilliant Oprah agree: Visualizing what you want gets you closer to your goals. Vision boards are a great way to restart your journey to a happier, healthier you. 

You don’t have to be an artist make a vision board with impact—that’s what glue sticks and old magazines are for. Start your analog cut and paste project this week to improve your chances of achieving the goals you set. It doesn’t matter if you’re not on the level of Basquiat. The point is to give yourself time—20 minutes, an hour, an entire afternoon—so you can really reflect on what you want.

Eat!

So many resolutions are focused on food, and they’re usually not effective when we don’t see the results immediately. But you don’t have to swing to one extreme or the other. For the majority of us, diets don’t work. And the majority of the diets out there certainly aren’t body positive. 

Rethink your food choices without depriving yourself. Rediscover the joy of meals by having Sunday dinner each week with people you love to spend time with, or giving yourself one day a week to indulge in your favorite dessert. Have you always wanted to make sushi at home? Are you curious about dairy-free pancakes? The important thing is to be mindful about what you eat. Create new habits.