The beginning of a year is always surrounded by a noise pollution of New Years resolutions, promises and goals for the upcoming 365 days. After a while, it might get a little mundane for some of us. I know for a fact an
Photo by K.Hurley
d I quit trying to make New Years resolutions a long time ago; I said to myself, “If I’m going to make a change, I’ll make it now. Not wait ‘til January 1st.”
Though I still believe that’s true (I think that if you need to make a change, you should do it now before you lose your motivation), we all inevitably reflect on what the New Year—or this new decade—will hold. It really is an opportunity for all of us to start fresh and break with our past and old habits so we can work on what we know is good for us.
I have set out to make 2011 my year of Choice and Change. I think that all of us can find motivation in each other and ourselves to do what we know we need to do.
For instance, everyone—not just COPDers—are planning on making this year a healthy year. So, let’s start planning how we’re going to eat healthier and exercise more. Are you going to . . .
- Print out a collection of new recipes with less butter and salt?
- Set up an exercise routine that you’re going to stick to no matter what?
- See your doctor at your scheduled appointments and set up reasonable goals for your health maintenance?
And speaking of visiting your doctor, what are you going to do to make sure you take your meds and take them the right way? Believe it or not, many COPDers take their inhalers the wrong way—and it’s not their fault. But reading about adhering to your meds and taking your inhalers the right way can only help you get the most out of your therapies. (And remember that therapies include inhalers, oxygen and for some, infusion.)
Since we’re making a list, I’ll also throw advocacy in there. As a community, we understand the importance of changing legislation so that we can access better health care and supporting research to we can speed up the process to finding new therapies. (For more info on supporting research, read an old blog post on volunteering for research.)
I hope this article offers a little encouragement for the optimists (and pessimists) about making a real change this upcoming year. Let’s all keep in mind why we’re doing what we’re doing.
