(Photo: Brooke Cagle | Unsplash)
Published January 1, 2026 06:26AM
This January, there will be no “New Year, New Me” mantra for me. No aesthetic overhaul. No wellness Olympics planned. No measurements or weights taken for later comparison. No new year’s resolutions at all. I’ve decided that I am not arriving in 2026 under constant construction as a renovation project.
The new wellness is not constant repair, but constant care. Compassion. Joy. Appreciation for what currently exists even as any intentional changes continue to unfold.
This is difficult, of course. The world keeps shouting faster, quicker, better, and MORE MORE MORE. But I can slow down, pay attention, and decide not to listen. Not today.
The last several years have already been a time of refining, unlearning, and becoming for myself and many of us. Not arriving. Not fixing. Just existing within the process rather than being exclusively focused on the destination and ignoring, well, life.
With that in mind, here are the New Year’s resolutions I will absolutely NOT be making.
10 New Year’s Resolutions to Avoid in 2026
Improvement cannot be the only destination.
1. I will not be doing cold plunges
My nervous system already gets plenty of exposure therapy from everyday life. I do not need to recreate the sinking of the Titanic before breakfast. Besides, most cold plunge research focuses on men. Women respond differently to exposure to extreme cold exposure. Shocking, I know, another area where women’s health is understudied and misunderstood. But if hypothermia is your hobby, pop off. I will be staying inside and keeping warm beneath three blankets. And wearing wool socks.
2. I will not be forcing myself to drink anything green that tastes like lawn maintenance
If it doesn’t bring me joy, it’s not coming with me into the new year. It’s totally possible to be healthy and enjoy what you consume! Health and pleasure are not opposites.
3. I will not be getting a full-body red-light panel
Mostly because what does it even do?! Every wellness article claims something different— collagen, mitochondria, mood, metabolism. That said, I am eyeing the face mask because I’m a middle-aged woman who has decided that I’m okay with trying to make my face look 20 again.
4. I will not be meditating for an hour a day
What I will be doing is my usual (and totally doable) 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night. Long enough to regulate my nervous system. Short enough not to ruin my relationship with meditation. Realistic enough not to create shame several days into January.
5. I will not be working out every day like I’m training for an Ironman
My actual resolution? Move each day in ways that feel good. Walking counts. Stretching counts. Unhinged kitchen dancing while cooking dinner definitely counts.
6. I will not be removing gluten or adding the latest superfood just to appease someone else’s idea of a wellness doctrine
I will eat in the way that feels right for my body, my mood, my season. Anyone who wants to debate this can take it up with their own gut microbiome. I’m finally done with eating based on trends. Instead, I’m eating for me.
7. I will not be biohacking myself (well, not too much)
I’m not turning my life into a science experiment. I’ll support my body in the normal ways—sleep, food, movement, boundaries, and minding my own business. But because I am a Virgo, I am allowed one spreadsheet.
8. I will not be buying any new bio-monitoring technology
No Oura ring. No Whoop strap. No $300 widget telling me I slept badly when I already woke up knowing that. The spreadsheet will be filled in the ancient way: pausing, noticing my mood, and asking myself what I need.
9. I will not be manifesting without action
Yes, I’ll find my vibe. Yes, I’ll protect my energy. But I’ll also take the steps, send the emails, and otherwise move things forward. Manifestation works best when paired with movement, although I do wish I could visualize my new kitchen and have it poof into place.
10. I will not be reinventing myself into some Pinterest-perfect version of a yogi or performing wellness for the internet
No aesthetic overhaul. If it nourishes me, I will do it. If it exists only to look good online, I am skipping it. I will be showing up as my real, sometimes messy self, because lived, imperfect wellness is the norm, not polished performance. This year is about living well, not curating well.
Your turn. What habits, trends, or expectations are you leaving behind in 2026?
