A new approach to renewal: Prioritizing wellbeing over resolutions

Ishbel Straker explores how true renewal comes not from fleeting resolutions, but from prioritizing wellbeing and sustainable change.

New Year New You… the words we have been reading since we put down our mince pies and started to see all the adverts for gym memberships and diet groups.

We have been told for years that resolutions don’t last and a high percentage don’t even make it to the end of the first week of a new-found fad that promises to make us better people. So we have attempted to progress in our thinking and consider these challenges differently – we tell ourselves they are not short-term goals, but long-term ambitions. They are going to be sustainable and change our behaviour for good.

So we believe we embark on this differently, but we don’t – the concept remains the same as does the outcome.

So why do we do it? The simple answer is because the media tells us we should and that everyone else is doing it. We also have an unhealthy guilt about indulging over Christmas.

I have to say, my issue is not with any of the above – change is good for our mental health for many reasons, including the challenge to ourselves, a sense of success and some control. My concern is with the content of what we force ourselves to change – and what we don’t think about changing, especially for a pastor.

What I would like to hear is people resolving to become more boundaried in 2025 – to commit to passing on problems that are able to be managed elsewhere to other people, to focus on having a lunch break and ensuring they have at least three evening meals with their family at home each week, along with a plan to spend at least 30 minutes outdoors each day separate from active exercise, and a focus to nourish their body with regular meals.

Imagine if we started to see a wave of ministers beginning to look and feel more energised to fulfil their purpose simply by committing to putting their wellbeing first. Imagine the effect as the congregation, youth, children, partners and friends see this change and start to implement it themselves.

The knock-on effect would be huge – we would see balanced and mentally well people around us who have been given permission to be that way by their pastor through a clear example to prioritise self-care.

In the words of CS Lewis: “You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

So, let’s start now!

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.