5 Ways to get the most out of the new year for stroke survivors

Whether you're celebrating the new year on January 1, January 22, September 15, your birthday, your Strokeaversary, or some other date in 2023 or beyond, it's a time to pause and think about where you want to go and what you want to do.

We could talk about resolutions, but that seems to set us up for failure. Few people set and achieve resolutions. Failing them within 2 weeks of the new year is pretty much a comedy trope at this point. So with all that cultural baggage, let's not talk about resolutions.

Let's talk things we can do. Here are 5 things you can build into your plan for the new year.

If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/MSN/NewYear to listen to the episode.

 

Click here for a machine-generated transcript

Decide what you want

Many people go through life on autopilot; they let the things they want be decided by societal standards or other people or their perceptions of what they're supposed to want.

Others choose goals, priorities, and direction once and never think about it again.

Stroke adds yet another layer to that. Most stroke survivors I speak with say the stroke changed not only their abilities but also the way the think about life. It adjusts their priorities or brings a level of clarity they might not have had before.

Whether you thought you knew what you wanted before a stroke or not, surviving a stroke gives you a reason to stop.

To stop and think about your goals.

It gives you a chance to think about what you really want now.

That doesn't mean you have to scale back because of language, physical, cognitive or other disabilities. It's possible your dreams now can be even bigger.

What it does mean is you have some work to do. You have to figure out what you want to do and why you want to do it.

Before you pursue a goal or plan of action for your new year, decide if you want the result. Maybe running seems like something you SHOULD do, but do you really want to? You're unlikely to be successful at achieving a goal you don't care about.

Take some time and a pen and paper or blank digital document or dry erase board or a partner who can serve as a scribe, and make a list of things you care about and want to do. What are you passionate about? What do you care about? What