The Effects of New Year’s Resolutions
Art by Kalie Yang
New year is a chance to start over and January is the perfect time to set personal and professional goals. Resolutions help us to become better versions of ourselves. From self -improvement to healthy diet resolutions, people across the world make a list of goals they would like to achieve by the end of the year. In this blog post, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of New Year’s resolutions.
The advantages of New Year’s resolutions
New Year's resolutions can be helpful because they allow us to reflect on the past year and identify areas where we can improve or make changes. Also, they give us a sense of direction that can motivate us to work toward those goals throughout the year. As a result, we will likely be more productive, have better time management skills, and feel more accomplished when we finally achieve our goals. New Year’s resolutions focus on making small positive changes that can promote a positive attitude and improve overall mental health to ensure we really take care of ourselves in the new year. Small changes in our positive interactions with others or in the way we take care of our inner world can have a profound effect on all aspects of our lives.
The disadvantages of New Year's resolutions
However, there can be downsides to making and keeping New Year's resolutions. Decisions can become unrealistic stressors that can harm our mental health in the long run. Although we hold ourselves to high standards, our goals are often too ambitious, and we feel inferior, guilty, or ashamed when we fall short. This can lead to a vicious cycle of self-doubt and even anxiety and depression. The word "new" in the new year brings a lot of pressure to start over and start fresh. But when the clock strikes twelve, remember that you cannot suddenly become a new person. The words "difficult" and "process" are key here, because change is a complex process. This is made even more difficult by the fact that breaking New Year's resolutions can exacerbate existing mental health issues such as depression or any other form of stress.
Tips on how to make your resolutions stick
Set realistic achievable goals - Unrealistic goals can set 222us up for failure, but small, realistic goals can help us stay on track and progress in achieving bigger goals.
Celebrate the small victories - When we are focused on the bigger picture, we tend to ignore the small victories that lead to achieving the bigger goals. Celebrating small victories will boost our confidence and keep us motivated.
Don’t let slip-ups discourage you - Staying consistent is about discipline, but we might struggle with staying on track due to some uncontrollable circumstances. In such situations, we should allow ourselves to take a break and pick up where we left off once we are ready. Slow progress is still progress.
Be kind to yourself throughout the year - A year has 365 days and achieving our goals requires hard work, mental toughness and consistency. Being kind to ourselves will keep us motivated on this long journey and make it worthwhile.
Mental Health Society of Greater Victoria aims to foster a community that speaks openly about mental health. For more content related to mental health, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.