More Manageable New Year’s Resolutions
Looking forward to a New Year often includes making New Year’s resolutions. Mid-December, I get all optimistic and create lists of things I want to accomplish in the New Year. It’s so easy to dream big in the middle of all the holiday magic. Then, the New Year rolls around and without all the cheerful holiday décor, the gloomy winter days start to drain all that built up holiday magic. I don’t know about you, but it never seems to fail that by mid-January, I’ve already hit a slump for a good chunk of those goals and am spiraling toward defeat.
What if there was a way to help make those New Year’s resolutions more manageable?
In search of ways to make New Year’s resolutions a bit more conquerable, I turned to some favorite authors on the topic. Admittedly, I am a little bit of a self-help/self-improvement book fanatic. I love downloading audiobooks and using them to help power me through my commute to work, an afternoon of chores, or even a shopping trip. My favorite way to download audiobooks is through the OverDrive app! Using your local library membership—yes, even your Army Library membership—you can virtually checkout audiobooks, ebooks, and even movies!
While the books I’ve listened to or read haven’t been specifically tailored to New Year’s resolutions, a lot of them have revolved around goal setting. The best advice I gathered from these books can boiled down to one main idea:
New Year’s resolutions don’t need to be tackled all at once!
That’s right, your big resolutions don’t need to be checked off your list in January. Instead, space out small changes each month to help stick to your goals. It’s widely accepted that new activities take around 21 days to form a habit. So splitting up your goals into monthly tasks, can help make that resolution stick!
For example if one of my big New Year’s resolutions was to be happier and healthier in the coming year, I might break that resolution down like this:
January
Focus on gratitude: It’s difficult to make big life changes if you can’t see the positive things in your life already.
February
Drink water: Water is so important to our health! Most nutritionists agree that drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces each day is crucial to keeping hydrated and on the path toward better health. To calculate how much water, take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half. That number is at least how many ounces you should drink in a day. For example: 150 pounds divided by 2 is 75 pounds. So strive for at least 75 ounces of water a day. I was not a big water drinker growing up. So I make water more interesting to drink by adding lemon or lime juice, a splash of apple cider vinegar, some fresh fruit, or even some fresh herbs to help reach that water goal.
March
Track what you are consuming: With my desk job, I tend to graze throughout the day and don’t realize how many snacks I end up consuming in a week. By writing down what I eat, I can create a plan of attack to cut that snacking down and make better choices to fuel my body for the end goal! You don’t have to track calories for this to work. Once you start writing out what you’re eating, you’ll be able to see the items that might not be the best choices, and you can start reducing those foods first and replacing with healthier options.
April
Get active: Physical activity not only helps to keep our bodies strong, but it can also help keep our emotional well-being in check. Exercise helps release endorphins—those happy chemicals our bodies produce. With warmer spring weather on the way, it’s easier to take your favorite exercise outside and enjoy the fresh air. Start where you are. If you are newer to exercise, maybe start by setting a goal to walk for 30 minutes before or after work or during your lunch break.
And so on…
Break your large resolution into smaller monthly goals. If you have smaller resolutions, you can set one up for each month. Pinterest has a ton of great ideas on how to break up your resolutions—try searching for “12 months to a happier you,” “12 months to a healthier you,” “monthly New Year’s resolutions,” and so on.
What are some of your New Year’s resolutions?
