Whether you are religious, superstitious or neither, when the new year rolls around many people tend to feel a great sense of change. We use the end of the year marked on our calendars to signify a time of rebirth, new solutions and starting over. The idea of resolutions as we start a new year dates back as far as the Babylonians and is still a widely practiced concept among people worldwide.
“I think New Year’s resolutions are beneficial because people get stuck in a routine and need a new beginning that really encourages them,” Addison Rogers, a playwriting student at DePaul, said.
The idea of New Year’s resolutions can span anywhere from cutting back on alcohol, exercising more, saving a certain amount of money the coming year, practicing mindfulness, learning a new skill or even reconnecting with friends and family. For some, resolutions are deeply personal, like focusing on mental health or overcoming fears, while others focus on outward achievements such as career advancements or creative projects.
What follows with this tradition is the lack of following through on these new goals. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 3 in 10 Americans make at least one resolution for the new year, with half of the group making more than one. People struggle to get out of old habits and to enact these changes for a variety of reasons.
One of the biggest challenges is that people often set unrealistic or overly ambitious goals. For instance, deciding to suddenly quit all unhealthy habits cold turkey can set someone up for failure. Without clear planning, these resolutions instantly become overwhelming.
If someone wanted to approach this intentionally and sustain it, there are ways to find success in the resolutions. Setting minor goals or milestones on a calendar, list or any other tangible place can help the person continue to visualize where they began and where they are headed.
It can also be helpful to talk amongst a community of people who may want to make similar changes in their life as it will help encourage those individuals to know they are not struggling alone.
“The main reason I never complete (the resolutions) is because I feel like I don’t have a community that is working towards personal growth,” Rogers said. “It feels impossible to work hard on yourself and stick to improving yourself and your life when the majority of people around you are stagnant.”
Another tactic involves being mindful about the resolutions. If someone truly wants to envision a better version of themselves in any capacity, they must make it into existence through positive self-reinforcement and determination to become the person they wish to be. This could be through vision boards, compassionate messages on a mirror, a journal or other physical forms of positivity surrounding the goals for the person. Through this, they can achieve the mindset they will need to succeed.
It’s also important for people to remain realistic and to not imagine ideas that may be out of their reach or require tools they don’t have and then expect changes to occur overnight. Patience and realism can go a long way with resolutions as well. This is especially crucial in areas that require long-term commitment, such as health goals or learning a new language. If you expect immediate results, as many people with resolutions do, it can lead to disappointment and a tendency to give up altogether. Instead, celebrating incremental progress keeps the journey fulfilling.
“I think it’s hard to just change something for the sake of changing,” Media and Pop Culture Professor Paul Booth said. “I think you really have to want it. If you’re just doing it because of an arbitrary date then it may not stick.”
For changes to occur, a person has to be ready to be uncomfortable and have their routine shaken up. Cynthia Vinney, who has a doctorate in psychology, from Mental Health News shares that in order to make long term changes, a person will have to be in a state of discomfort for a period of time.
“I think it’s a nice way to be mindful of yourself; just don’t beat yourself up if you don’t stick to the resolution,” Booth said.
Related Stories:
- How to actually achieve your New Year’s resolutions
- New year, same me: Is it possible to achieve your new year’s resolution?
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