The Required "New Year's Resolution" Post

I thought I'd join the rest of the world in dedicating my first post of 2012 to my "resolution" for the year.

I need to say, first, though, that I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions.  Or, at least, I don't believe in them for me -- I'm not good at saying "I must do this!", and then sticking to it.  As soon as I break my resolution, I pretty much give up and there go my good intentions.  Some people in my life would tell you that I lack resolve; I prefer to think that I like to stay flexible.

This being said, though, I am making one goal for myself for 2012. It's a little thing, really, and to most people, it doesn't seem like it would be particularly difficult, but judging by my 2011, it may be harder than it sounds for me.  My goal: stay out of the hospital.

With the year drawing to a close, I counted up all my overnight hospital stays I had in 2011, and it was a whopping ten.  Ten!  And it's not like I have cancer or some other terminal or chronic sickness.  Ten is unacceptable for an otherwise healthy 35 year old.  Here's the breakdown:

• Three overnight stays of varying lengths for preterm labor problems when I was pregnant in the first part of the year;
• One two-night stay when I had my sweet little 8-month-old in April;
• One one-night stay when I had my gall bladder removed in October;
• And a staggering five stays of varying lengths for psychiatric reasons -- three at the Lindner Center and two at the hospital.

I did a very cursory search for statistics on bipolar disorder and hospitalization, and according to the Stanley Bipolar Foundation Network, 85.1% of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder had been hospitalized at some point, with patients being hospitalized on average 3 times.  Admittedly, this data is probably culled from the sickest bipolar patients (that's what the Stanley Bipolar Foundation works with), but it's still a pretty disturbing statistic.

So I've decided that I've used up my average number of hospitalizations -- and then some -- and I'm done.  In 2012, I'm going to be hospital-free.  All those "resolutionists" can keep their marathons, their 60 lbs, their TV-watching-reductions, their writing goals, and their volunteer resolve.

I just wanna stay home.