As the year comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on what has gone right and what I need to improve on for the coming year. The past 12 months have brought lots of change, joy, sadness and development I’m hoping to continue with. Here are my resolutions for the next year that will hopefully make 2026 the best year yet!
1. Journaling
One habit I picked up this year is journaling. Numerous studies show that journaling has incredibly positive effects on mental health and allows you to relieve stress in a healthy way. I have come to realize that when I am stressed and overwhelmed, journaling has been an amazing outlet for me to get everything out. Transitioning into college brought a lot of change and uncertainty in the past few months, but this habit has made me feel more in control of my life. In the new year, I hope to continue journaling and being more consistent with how I write. I want to start writing out things I am grateful for and things I want to work on as a way to hold myself accountable.
2. Intentional time
Over the past few months, I have admittedly been inconsistent in following through with plans. It’s easy to say that you want to grab coffee with an acquaintance sometime or catch up with a distant family member, but realistically, these plans don’t usually follow through. In the next year, I want to be more intentional with making time to spend with the people I love. I want to reach out to friends I haven’t seen in a while and try to foster new connections with the people around me. I also want to spend more quality time with my family. The holidays always remind me of the people who mean the most to me, and being away from home for the first time has made these feelings even stronger. I want to spend more time with my parents over break, especially since our busy lives make it difficult to do things together. Overall, I hope to take time for the people I love most this next year.
3. Prioritizing my health
Finally, in the next year, I want to prioritize my health. To me, this means taking more time for my physical and mental health than I have in the past few months. Coming to college and filling my schedule with clubs, friends and classes has made it difficult to keep up with healthy habits. This next year, I want to prioritize making time to take care of myself. This means going to the gym more often, learning how to make new healthy recipes, and taking a break when needed. Although it is easier said than done, I know this will translate into other areas of my life. By improving my health, I will have more energy in my academic and social life.
2025 has been a year of extreme change, and I can’t wait to make 2026 the best year yet!