Things I'm Leaving in 2022
A list
Author’s Note: This article was originally titled ‘Things I’m Leaving in 2023.’ We will be leaving typos in 2022 as well.
I’m going to be honest with you. I’m a bit too cynical for New Year’s Resolutions. Sure, I’m ostensibly an “advice columnist,” but that doesn’t mean I actually want to improve myself. Cringe! And anyway, who needs an arbitrary demarcation of the passage of time as an excuse to make a change, right?
Well, I’m not sure. I tend to look at these things like tarot. No, I don’t think there’s some kind of cosmic force at play, but if you do choose to go along with it, you’ll probably get something out of it. A new year is as nice an excuse as any to reevaluate your life, take stock of things, and switch things up if need be.
With that in mind, I’m going to wade into #SelfImprovement by first dabbling in some negativity. Here are some things I want to leave behind in 2022. My general theme is “waste reduction.” I spend a lot of my time on things that amount to emotional or physical clutter. We only get so much time and energy on earth, so I hope to bring more intent to my daily activities by cutting some things out.
Here they are! Take them or leave them. Remember, these are for me, so some might work for you, and some might not.
Waking Up ‘Whenever’
In general, my lack of routine makes me feel a little sad, and this is nowhere more apparent than in the field of “sleep hygiene.” I really struggle to fall asleep, and I struggle to stay asleep. Indeed, sleep has been an enemy of mine for as long as I can remember. But nothing feels quite as good as getting to bed early and waking up just as the sun is coming out. It makes me feel like I can do absolutely anything with my day. You would think, then, that I would pursue opportunities to make most of my days like this.
No.
‘Liking’ Pictures on Instagram
I really want to know what I think ‘liking’ Avan Jogia’s most recent thirst trap that already has 32k ‘likes’ on it is going to do for me or my crops. Like, what is the end goal here? I’m not saying Avan Jogia isn’t a smokeshow or that he doesn’t deserve all the red little hearts in the world. I just think that, in general, I do the algorithm’s bidding too often, and the algorithm seems to have a vested interest in making me feel like “having a body” is a race and I’m being lapped by multiple men from Brazil. I think I will work to make my “explore” page mostly cats.
Overspending on Clothes
I do not need this many clothes. But I have them. When I see something nice, my brain gets to work illustrating what a nice day I would have while wearing it. I think it speaks to a general sentiment that the bare facts of myself aren’t enough, that I need to be enhanced by something finer, something more elegant, but I just end up with a closet full of scrapped illustrations of lovely Saturday afternoons that never happened. I should be saving that money for… well, I don’t know. A house? Ha! As if…
Not Wearing the Clothes I Overspent On
However, if I insist on having great taste and purchasing nice clothes, then I should probably go ahead and wear them. Really feels like I get the worst of both worlds here by not putting my nice clothes on my body. It’s a vicious cycle: I see something I like, I get it, but then it loses its luster once it’s in my possession, as if its association with me has lessened it somehow. One might astutely point out that this is a self-esteem issue, and they’d be right! Feeling like you’re worthy of nice things is good and should be embraced. Fake it until you make it, if you must.
Same Principle as Above, but With Books
This one is painful, but I think I should probably buy books I actually intend to read. Don’t get me wrong, buying books is far from the worst thing you could be doing with your money, but I tend to see the books I buy more as aspirational items than as actual literature to engage with. As someone who wrote a book, I know how much time and effort goes into one, and, believe it or not, I want people to read the book I wrote. I don’t really want it to sit on a shelf somewhere or in a pile by the bed. So.
Quote-Tweeting
This one is hard. Sometimes a tweet is so bad, so eminently mockable that the joke is practically writing itself. But diva, I’m starting to think that quote-tweet-dunks aren’t changing anything. The internet is a cruel place, and it’s only getting harsher and more impactful by the day. That’s a bad combination. I suppose I’ll do my part and be a better internet citizen. I can’t make any promises in regards to Elon Musk’s tweets though. I’ll try my best!
Deleting Instead of Unsubscribing
Deleting a recurring email from some brand I’ve never heard of gets rid of it for a moment. Unsubscribing or blocking the email gets rid of it forever. The only email I need to be subscribed to is ¡Hola Papi! by John Paul Brammer, which offers gift subscriptions for the sad gay in your life just in time for the holidays.
The Vague ‘Yes’
I do this a lot. I don’t outright say “yes,” but instead I say something like, “I’ll look into it” or “that sounds nice, let me think about it” when I know what I really want to say is “no.” I’m just not very confident about my “no,” and so I want to keep my options open, but then I often forget to follow up or I lose track of my obligations, and all I’ve accomplished with my wishy-washiness is making everything more stressful for every party involved. If the answer is “no,” then I should say “no.” Let’s save everyone some time.
Those are the things I’m leaving behind! “Things I’m bringing with me” is soon to follow. Rest assured, all of you are on that second list.
JP