Let’s talk about New Years resolutions
With just a few weeks left of 2024, many of us are reflecting on this past year and contemplating our goals for the 2025 year ahead. We might be considering goals like losing weight, sticking to a budget, paying off debt, quitting a bad habit, setting boundaries or mending a relationship.
The tradition of New Year’s resolutions originated from the ancient Babylonians some 4,000 years ago. This civilization celebrated the New Year when crops were planted and held a 12-day festival crowning the king and making promises to the gods. They believed if they kept their promises, the gods would favor them in the year ahead.
Today, the tradition of making New Years resolutions is mostly secular, we aren’t making promises to the gods, but instead we make promises to ourselves. New Years resolutions tend to focus on themes of self-improvement, but it’s worth noting that even if you don’t participate in making resolutions this time of year, goals are important for everyone. Goal setting can help us navigate challenges and make actionable plans to realize success. Put simple, resolutions are goals that can help us grow. Setting New Year’s resolutions can feel overwhelming, where one helpful tool is making sure that our goals are SMART.
Smart goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and consider Time.
Specific: If you set a goal or resolution do your best to make it specific. Consider grabbing a pen and paper and writing down your goals. If your goal is to be healthier, ask yourself what this might look like for you? Does it mean eating healthier and meal-planning, being more active, or does it mean prioritizing your mental health? Whatever the goal is, try to get specific about what it looks like and what it will take to make it happen.
Measurable: Think about how you will measure the success of this resolution. Ask yourself how will you recognize that you’ve reached your goal? Consider how to plan and track your progress. If your goal is to save $500 this year, grab a calendar and set a monthly goal like saving so much money every month until you meet that number. Doing this can help you to stay on track, and help you check in on your progress.
Attainable: Make sure the goals you set are ones that you feel you can achieve. Consider your current situation and responsibilities. Remember that whenever we set smaller attainable goals that we can reach, we feel more motivated to work toward bigger ones!
Realistic: Consider your current lifestyle and circumstances to ensure goals are within reach and relevant! Think about what might be necessary to meet your goals, and feasibility. If your goal is to be more active and joining a gym is how you’d like to achieve it, do research to consider the cost, time commitment, transportation and other factors that will make this possible.
Time-bound: Take a few moments to think about when you’d like to achieve your goal. Sometimes it’s helpful to set one or two goals that can be broken down into monthly, weekly or even daily tasks. Looking at a calendar and setting a specific date for your goal can help you stay on track. Don’t overcomplicate things, try to keep your goals simple and time-bound.
Finally, remember that you’re not alone. If you need help planning resolutions, learning techniques to help you stay on track, or you’re just looking for some support, our team of dedicated therapists are here for you. Risework Therapy is passionate about mental wellness, offering accessible and approachable therapy to support you while you explore, grow and heal at your own pace.
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