Now's the time when we are all making resolutions for the New Year.

Magazines talk about "finding the new you" and slimming groups and gyms see their numbers swell as the excess of the festive season is replaced with a will for a leaner, fitter figure.

I'm not against New Year's resolutions per se although I think that people readily set themselves up to fail. I also find that striving for perfection can just be so strenuous and also so disappointing as we so humanly let ourselves down and err from the masterplan.

This week I heard a wonderful interview with two young women on "Women's Hour" discussing their attitude to life. One spoke eloquently about "self-care". For her that meant making her bed properly and having incense sticks.

I believe that if there is one resolution which is worth keeping it would be "self-care". If we care for ourselves, not because we are striving for the perfect figure or to run a marathon, but to keep ourselves as well as we can, we then have the ability to function well in so many other ways.

Our society often encourages us to look after others, put others first, to work excessively hard and to keep going. Self-care puts our physical, mental and spiritual well-being first.

Incense sticks and making the bed would not be my first choices to look after myself, but each to their own!

What is important is realizing that if you don't look after yourself then you can't look after anyone else.

Have a good year and enjoy the good times.

BrumMum

A Moodscope member.