It’s five seconds till midnight, and you’re excited for the new year, but you can’t help but wonder what you’re going to change about yourself this year. New Year resolutions were made 1671 when a woman named Anne Halkett, when she wrote in her journal about how she would change in the new year. Then by 1802 resolutions became common among people and in 1813 a Boston newspaper stated the famous phrase for the first time “New Year resolution.” Even with the long history, New Year resolutions are a very tough topic as it usually doesn’t go as planned. 

The statistics of New Year resolutions proves this point even more as according to a study “At least 40% of people in the United States set New Year’s resolutions, while 22% of people in the UK aim for self-improvement with a resolution. Yet, research shows that 80% of people break their resolutions by the first week of February and only 8% are successful in achieving their goals at all.” This can show us proof that New Year’s resolutions can be unrealistic to ourselves. It can be hard for us to keep these resolutions especially if we make unrealistic expectations in ourselves. Like some common resolutions, lose weight, quit smoking, drink less alcohol, and save money or pay off debt. These can be very difficult to achieve and many people struggle. This could be one of the main reasons why people struggle with keeping their resolutions, as you may see some are very unrealistic. So how can people keep their resolutions all year long (or at least till March)? This may be the answer for you.

One way you can keep your resolutions for longer desired time is to start off small. Like stated before sometimes resolutions can be huge and a lot to accomplish, so why not start off small? One example is the common resolution of trying to quit smoking, and sometimes when people try to go cold turkey, and this is a very hard thing to do especially since cigarettes are a very addicting substance. And when people go cold turkey, they will most likely break their promise and go for that one little cigarette. So one good resolver is start off small, maybe like one less pack a day until eventually you don’t smoke any at all. Another way you can keep your resolutions is fix one thing at a time. You can’t go around fixing so many things at once. It would be very hard. 

Imagine trying to lose weight, drink less alcohol, and quit smoking all at once. And people may struggle because they put too much on their plate. So if you decide to make more than one resolution, take it one resolution at a time. One final way you can keep your resolutions for a desired while, is don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t be upset if things don’t go as planned. If you accidentally mess up on the resolution, for example say you’re going to workout everyday, and you miss a day, it’s going to be okay. Sometimes putting yourself at such high standards can damage you, I’m not saying slack off, but you don’t have to be furious at yourself for a simple mistake, mistakes are common. So if you mess up don’t just give up, work on improving instead.

So this year when you’re counting down to a new year, and thinking about those resolutions, remember try your best. But also think of stuff you are able to do. Nothing too hard and don’t push yourself too much. Be the best you, you can be!

Sources

“Exploring the History behind New Year’s Resolutions.” Real Word, 1 Jan. 2020, www.trafalgar.com/real-word/history-new-years-resolutions/#:%7E:text=New%20Year’s%20resolutions%20appeared%20to,titled%20the%20page%20%E2%80%9CResolutions%E2%80%9D.

“Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick.” Apa.org, 10 Nov. 2019, www.apa.org/topics/new-year-resolutions. Accessed 16 Dec. 2020.