As holiday feasts of black-eyed peas, mac and cheese, and Christmas turkey fade into the rearview, many people, like Charita Johnson, choose to use their New Year’s resolution to tackle their physical and mental well-being.
Johnson, 38, works as a home-based casework supervisor and entrepreneur, and she is determined to take her health, specifically her diabetes, seriously this year.
Johnson is one of many residents across Northwest Indiana to join the annual trend of people using the new year to refocus their resolutions on improving their health. Studies show that Black people are at higher risks for multiple health conditions, including heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure. Specifically, Black Americans in Indiana have lower life expectancies as well.
“This year, I’m just being more aware of the consequences of not being able to lower my A1C, in regards to losing ligaments, toes or feet, or other things that I desire to keep,” she said. “I’m drinking more water, and have given up caffeine, stopped purchasing outside foods, and if I do drink anything outside of water, it’s something that’s zero sugar,” she said.
At the Boys and Girls Club on 19th Avenue in Gary, Teen Tech Center Director Wendell Mosby said the club’s New Year’s plans include physical health goals to aid in teens’ social development.
“Our teens spend a lot of time talking about fights and anger and aggression towards each other,” he said. “So we think about what they can do to love themselves and be a bigger contributor to the community.”
Mosby said the club uses a program called Triple Play that focuses on “team building, community building, and keeping [teengers] active.”
Next month, he said, they also plan to partner with a local chef to introduce plans about nutrition so that the kids can make “something healthy in the kitchen, without burning it down.”
Dr. Mashone Parker-Wright, a mental health professional at Infinity Counseling and Wellness Center in Crown Point, says the new year is a popular time for physical and mental wellness.
“Around this season, we see a peak in clients. Being physically active and working out has a direct impact on your mental health; it’s one of the top coping skills,” Parker-Wright said.
Seasonal depression and the holidays tend to trigger mental health issues like depression and anxiety for people, Parker-Wright said.
“Most people don’t know how to describe or explain what they’re looking for,” she said. “The goal is to remove this depression, anxiety, and negative thoughts, and for most people that means they want to wake up and be OK.”
To help combat this, Parker-Wright said there are several ways to support yourself and others.
“Write a plan and always set goals that are realistic for yourself,” she said. “The biggest part is self-care. I think a lot of people don’t focus on themselves. Focus on yourself and care for others. You think about your wellness goals and self-care first because you have to be healthy enough to help the people around you.”
Johnson, whose family members also have diabetes, said the new year has inspired her to make a change.
“No one in my family has lost anything yet, but I don’t want to be the first.”