"This is a time for gently coaxing yourself into the new year, not inflicting more punishment on yourself"
"Needless to say, I didn't clap. I felt the decision to not drink wine at 11.30am on a Saturday didn't warrant it. I also knew she was dying to get into the Dry January discourse and I wasn't in the mood to dole out fake praise. I didn't need to hear how her energy levels are through the roof after only 10 days or how her skin has never been clearer. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction."
A friend announces she is doing Dry January at a midmorning brunch, prompting an eye-roll rather than praise. The decision to skip wine at 11:30 a.m. is viewed as performative and undeserving of applause. The narrator resents being subjected to triumphant updates about energy levels and clearer skin after only a short time. The core message favors gentle, compassionate self-care entering the new year rather than adding punitive rules or moral one-upmanship. Emphasis rests on kindness toward oneself over public displays of discipline that invite judgement or resentment.
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