The debauchery of New Year plans is behind us. We have all looked at our bank accounts and winced. 2025 personally wasn’t a spectacular year for me. My mental health hit a slump, akin to Kohli’s batting form in 2021. I failed spectacularly in my attempt to quit smoking, and now am hoping the government levies a 4,000% hike in cigarette prices as my last resort. It’s only been a week into 2026, and things are already looking bleak. Uncle Sam has attacked another small country to deliver their style of swift, military justice. China is on the brink of a conflict with Taiwan, and Russia continues to pepper Ukraine with missiles. My point is, 2026 is not going to be a particularly shiny year in history.
In such circumstances, it is important to keep one’s sanity intact. The world around us is engineered to elicit reactions and trigger emotions. There are actual scientists typing mysterious codes into their computers to keep us on the edge so we can be sold onion hair oil and home decor on Instagram. Every year, I suggest easy, accessible New Year resolutions for readers through this column. This year, I have decided to let go of the word ‘resolution’. Using the word makes one feel like Bheeshma Pitamaha taking a terrible vow. Let’s call them New Year suggestions instead.
Firstly, skip resolutions related to fitness. They’re almost a cliche now. And the truth is, no matter how disciplined you are, it’s hard to compete with a well-oiled capitalist machine. So delete food delivery apps instead. Not only are the prices three times the price at the actual restaurant, you have to go through the anxiety of tracking a tiny scooter on the app. Avoid targets that can be quantified. Base your targets purely on vibes. Normalise blocking people. Last year, I found someone’s posts extremely triggering on Instagram. Only to realise that it was a stranger I’d been following since 2017. You’re not going to meet 90 per cent of the people on social media ever again in your life.
Avoid house parties. Use ChatGPT to conjure up award-winning declinations to party invitations. House parties began as a great idea. But today, I feel more comfortable in a club than making polite conversation while waiting for the food to be served. Do not get your news from social media. Subscribe to a newspaper instead. Newspapers do not have a comments section, and are much better for your sanity. Invest in a pair of good earphones and make a playlist of your favourite childhood songs. Quit sugar for a bit, and be kinder to people who play pickleball. Read a book a month, and don’t tell anybody about it. Take walks in the evening, and try to talk to strangers. (But if they offer you Frooti, run!).
In a calendar year, you’ll find at least 10 days when your mental state will be tottering at a 2/10. Recognise these days early, switch off your phone and laze in bed all day. We often overestimate our importance in organisations and structures. But even Trump spent 88 days in the previous year on his golf course. That’s nearly a quarter of the year for the supposed leader of the free world. The secret to having a good year is to not take it all too seriously. And before you know it, things will begin to look brighter. 2025 was a dismal year, but Arnab Goswami has begun
to question the government on its actions, so maybe the world is healing after all. Have a terrific 2026!
(The writer’s views are personal)