It’s the start of a New Year, and it’s often a time when we evaluate our lives and resolve to make changes in order to create a better version of ourselves. Most commonly, these resolutions centre around health and fitness, but they may also focus on careers, hobbies, or personal relationships.
They may even involve finally tackling a personal issue such as male pattern baldness, and investigating treatment possibilities such as finasteride, which you can buy cheaper online.
However, there is a conflicting narrative around New Year’s resolutions: for every ‘New Year, New You’ type article, there’s half a dozen more claiming that setting resolutions is pointless, or even harmful for our mental health. So what’s the truth here, and should you bother setting yourself goals for 2025 or not?
The case against making resolutions
Giving up too soon
The most compelling argument against resolutions is simply that the majority of people give them up very quickly. Numerous surveys have found that often, lifestyle changes and other good intentions are abandoned by the middle of January. This can lead to a sense of failure, and even damage our self-esteem and confidence in ourselves.
Negative motivations
Another objection that is raised against New Year’s resolutions is that they are often based on our perceived flaws or failures, which can amplify negative thought patterns and reinforce existing unhelpful beliefs rather than help us to move away from them.
For example, people often vow to lose weight, which could be triggered by post-festive guilt at indulging in rich food and drink over the past few weeks. People with deeper issues such as an eating disorder or body dysmorphia can become more firmly entrenched in their perceived faults, rather than focusing on becoming a healthier and happier person.
Over ambitious goals
People often pressure themselves into making changes that are too sudden or too big, only to abandon them when they inevitably fail to meet their goals. For example, a person who wants to get fit and vows to spend an hour at the gym every day may find that this is unachievable when the reality of everyday life kicks in.
We tend to make our resolutions after a few days break from our usual routine, and this can cloud the reality of the commitment and effort meeting our goals will actually require. This risks us abandoning the goal altogether out of a sense of failure or frustration, or simply because it was a dreaded chore or too exhausting, rather than an enjoyable process.
The case for New Year’s resolutions
It’s a chance to renew and reset old habits
Most of us have areas of our lives that we would like to improve, which could be as simple as drinking less coffee, or as challenging as a major overhaul of our diet and fitness routines. The New Year provides a natural turning point in the calendar when there is less pressure to join in festivities and overindulge in tempting food and drink or skip the gym.
Satisfying our need to achieve
The human psyche has evolved to thrive when we have a strong sense of purpose and direction, and this can be reinforced when we have a positive goal to work towards. The brain’s reward system kicks in when we master a new skill, or achieve a higher level of competence at a regular activity.
When we are striving to improve ourselves, it can enhance our self-esteem as we gain a greater sense of control over our lives or faith in our abilities.
You are not going it alone
Some criticise the 1st of January as a meaningless and arbitrary date on the calendar, and therefore any resolutions will fail to make an impact. However you view it, the practice of making New Year resolutions is not going to go away any time soon, and chances are, friends, family, and acquaintances will be going down similar paths.
There’s also plenty of discussion and advice in the media and online around the topic at this time of year, and this can all help with your motivation and accountability. Therefore making changes can be that little bit easier at this time of the year.
You’ve got nothing to lose
If you approach changes with an open mind and use them as a chance to explore new opportunities, it can take the pressure off. Even if you don’t carry a new hobby or activity through until next year, at least you’ve learned something about yourself. Therefore, so long as you don’t beat yourself up about giving up, you will not have lost anything.
Tips for making successful resolutions
So, maybe you are tempted to set out some good intentions for yourself, that could enhance your life and wellbeing in 2025. Here are some tips that can help you to stick to your promises and achieve those goals.
Set realistic and achievable goals
Rather than setting ambitious and vague goals, such as losing weight, break it down into smaller steps. Think about how you can incorporate changes into your everyday routine, such as batch cooking your lunches at the weekend so you are not tempted to buy calorific snacks during your office breaktimes.
Set positive goals rather than avoidances
Resolutions that focus on avoiding something tend to fail because they do nothing to challenge the underlying patterns of thought or behaviour that drive them. For example, if you want to stop smoking, focus on all the benefits this will bring, such as improved health and fitness and saving money.
Establish distraction activities so you are less likely to give in to cravings, or seek professional support and advice to reinforce your efforts.
Be flexible and forgiving
Improving yourself takes mental resilience, effort and persistence. There will be times when your motivation dips or you feel like a failure. Learn to treat yourself with kindness and protect your mental health without losing sight of what you want to achieve.
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