Did I catch your attention with the emotionally charged heading? Our cultural heritage and media support an atmosphere where more is more. The New Year must begin with significant changes and resolutions that are often related to the way we live our lives. Clickbait headings suggest a White January, a 30-day muscle challenge and fool-proof ways to lose weight by spring or, at the very latest, summer.
But what if less is more?
After the changes and crises that have happened in the past few years, it might be a good idea to focus on the basics, such as a smooth, functioning and safe everyday life. What if you started the New Year by promising yourself and your loved ones that in small daily choices, you will side with wellbeing and the ability to function? Even research says that the impact of changes improves the better they are implemented – common sense can affirm this. According to research, a positive attitude, work, social contacts and abstinence from substance abuse promote health.
It is better to reduce alcohol use every week than to have a White January. It is better to add 10 minutes of exercise into your weekdays than to train excessively at the start of the year. It is better to create a routine of listing things you are grateful for every Sunday than to go on a mindfulness retreat once a year. It is better to go to the theatre with your friends than not to go because you are tired. It is better to ensure smooth daily work conditions than to change careers on the go in the hopes of finding a new start.
Many times, it is not that your resolutions are bad; the problem is that you do not think about how you are going to implement them. It is just as much about what you are going to do as it is about what you are not going to do. According to our observations, many people become exhausted and their plans go unfulfilled because they just have too many things to do in terms of their resources. This starts a spiral of blaming yourself for failure and working harder, which leads to exhaustion – and the spiral is ready.
What do you consider as necessary to promise yourself so that you could retain your ability to function in the future? Could less be more in 2024?
At occupational healthcare, we help you with the connection between work and health even in 2024. We promise to do our best to support employers find functioning solutions for the entire work community. We also promise to help you draft plans that support wellbeing and the ability to work and function in the daily life. Lastly, we promise to take care of our own ability to work so that we can help you.
A warm thank you for your cooperation in 2023 and a successful daily life in 2024!
Henni Hyytiä-Ilmonen
Chief Occupational Health Physician