Three words, one promise, and a breath of fresh air to start the year. If you've scrolled through social media in early January 2026, you've undoubtedly come across it. The phrase "This year, I choose myself" has emerged like a mantra, shared by people tired of conforming, fading into the background, or over-adapting.
Resolutions that finally look inward
New Year's resolutions have long been synonymous with control and performance. The body had to be corrected, transformed. The calendar, filled to the brim. Success, measured in numbers. In 2026, the trend is slowly but surely reversing. The commitments you make to yourself are becoming gentler, more conscious, and above all, more respectful.
Choosing yourself means, for example, deciding to listen to your body as it is today, without judging it or seeking to punish it. It means adopting a body-positive attitude, recognizing that your worth depends neither on your figure nor on constant productivity. It also means accepting your limitations, both physical and emotional, and understanding that they are legitimate.
Saying "no" without justifying oneself, taking a step back from exhausting stories, or giving as much importance to mental health as to outward appearance: this is the new face of New Year's resolutions.
A dynamic amplified by social networks
This desire to prioritize oneself resonates widely online. On Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), content is proliferating around personal boundaries, relationship warning signs, and behaviors that are no longer tolerated. You'll find lists of "what I will no longer do to be loved," stories of courageous career changes, and testimonials from people who have begun therapy.
These public statements help normalize choices long perceived as radical: leaving a job that drains one of meaning, distancing oneself from a toxic relationship, or slowing down without guilt. Choosing oneself doesn't mean crushing others, but building more balanced relationships where each person fully exists.
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A slogan that translates into concrete actions.
Behind this widely shared phrase, there is rarely a major, sudden upheaval. Choosing yourself often involves a series of small decisions. You might decide to consult a professional to better understand your emotional patterns. You allow yourself to spend time alone, without having to explain yourself. You re-evaluate your relationship with work, prioritizing meaning over over-commitment.
This approach also involves examining certain deeply ingrained habits: the constant search for validation, ignoring signs of fatigue, or a complicated relationship with one's body and food. In a body-positive approach, it's not about controlling oneself more, but about cultivating self-compassion in all its dimensions.
The popularity of "This year, I choose myself" in 2026 reveals a collective turning point. After years of trying to conform, prove myself, and reassure others, many are taking a step back. You are no longer seeking external approval, but inner alignment. This resolution doesn't promise a "perfect year," it promises something better: a year more respectful of your own pace, your body, and your sensitivity. A year where you learn, perhaps for the first time, to truly live up to your own potential.
