Maintaining a Focus on Health Throughout the New Year

A cursor blinking on a blank page. A fresh blanket of snow. A blank canvas with new paint ready to be used. Like these images, the new year represents a blank slate and hope for what’s to come.

Many people make New Year’s resolutions, such as losing weight, exercising more, spending less, or eating healthy. Unfortunately, most people can’t stick with their plan and quickly fail. There’s a different way to start the year, however, and it often yields a higher success rate.

I’m a proponent of the one-word model. Instead of listing resolutions I’ll likely never achieve, I select a single word as my focus for the year. In previous years, some of my words were intentional, peace, listen, hope, change, transform, and believe.

Selecting a word is a tool that can help people focus — something that’s often a struggle for people with chronic conditions, especially during difficult parts of their health journey.

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January 6, 2021 Columns by Cazandra Campos-MacDonald

Starting the New Year With a Focus on Helping My Son

One year I selected the word joy. My youngest son, Caeleb, was in elementary school, and hemophilia was a big focus in our home. He experienced numerous painful joint bleeds, and having fun was almost impossible. I needed to bring joy back into my life and my home.

Of course, a word won’t fix every problem, but when I did focus on finding joy in every situation, it made the painful moments a little more bearable. Focusing on joy during an otherwise painful year was a challenge. I look back and realize I could’ve easily done a better job. But the truth is that we’re human, and the pain of an illness often takes over.

My word for 2023 is still under consideration. The year 2022 brought many health challenges for Caeleb as he experienced the aftermath of numerous past bleeds. Yet I’m hopeful this year will bring relief through various medical interventions.

As the new year begins, whether you choose a word or not, I encourage everyone to sit in silence and reminisce on the previous year. Perhaps there are ways you can better manage a health condition in 2023.

Get involved in your local bleeding disorders community and make new connections. Talk to staff at a hemophilia treatment center (HTC) about new treatment possibilities. Get back on the treatment protocol your HTC providers have prescribed.

Make 2023 a year of renewed commitment to caring for your bleeding disorder. It’s always possible to make good decisions regarding your health. A word may help set the tone.

Happy New Year!

Note: Hemophilia News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Hemophilia News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to hemophilia.