Forget the resolution pressure
The first week of the year just finished, meaning 23% of people have already forgotten their New Year’s Resolutions, according to driveresearch.com. Just before the clock strikes 12 and the new year begins, people “solidify” their goals and that they’ll maintain them. Whether it’s hitting the gym, eating healthier or reducing screen time, it’s important to realize we are more than the pressure we put on ourselves to achieve our resolutions.
One of the biggest misconceptions we have is we need to make these resolutions at the top of the new year. Since the entire world is celebrating and making changes, we feel the pressure to do the same. However, we can change our lives any time of the year, not just on the first of January. It could be a random Tuesday in August or a Thursday in March. Whenever we feel we want to make healthy changes to our lives, we should make them on our terms.
When setting goals, make sure they are reasonable and can be flexible should any circumstances arise. If someone’s New Year resolution was to drive to the hottest local gym in town six days a week, what happens if a sickness wipes them out for a few weeks? If their car breaks down, are they able to afford a rental car or find other transportation? What if the weather prohibits them from driving to the gym? However, if their goal was to work out wherever they can for 45 minutes a day five days a week, they would feel more accomplished come December 31.
Switching our mindset from failure to a consistency mindset can also prove to be beneficial when it comes to making New Year’s resolutions can help keep us on track. If we feel we are having an off day and reach for comfort foods instead of healthy choices, it’s okay to have a minor adjustment to the plan. As long as we can get back on track the next day, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up too badly. If we can stick to the plans we made for ourselves, it allows us to have a better sense of accomplishment.
New Year’s resolutions can help us become the best version of ourselves we can be. However, if we become stressed about what we are striving towards, it can hinder our progress instead of helping it. If we can keep a consistent pattern and tune out what others are saying, we can look back and see all we’ve achieved at the end of 2024, knowing we tried our best.