They say there’s a season for everything, and 2026 is a season for rebirth and rebranding. Let go of the fads of 2025 and embrace what’s to come in 2026. Many expect 2026 to be a parallel of 2016: carefree fun, pop music, Tumblr summer, and the Rio de Janeiro Instagram filter. If these expectations are true, then we know it’s going to be a good year. While some are looking to recreate the positive energy of the past, others are looking to blaze a new trail. Despite the sometimes-stringent expectations of New Year’s resolutions, what’s “in” for 2026 doesn’t have to follow precise criteria. I asked my friends their “ins” for 2026, and this is a compilation of their responses:
Taking Workout Classes at “the Rec”
From dance cardio to sunrise yoga to cycle rides, the TCU Rec Center offers a plethora of workout classes that appeal to a variety of members. Unlike off-campus workout facilities, the convenient location of the Rec is walkable and hassle-free. Not to mention you’re bypassing the added costs of yearly subscriptions and membership fees that come with external fitness centers. Beyond just the Rec Center, utilizing your resources is in. It’s all there waiting for you!
Thin Mints
Let’s be real, Thin Mints have always been in. They’re the best Girl Scout cookies, hands down. I try to branch out and try the new flavor or buy a few other classics, but I often find myself with several empty boxes of Thin Mints before I even open the other boxes. The simple truth is that Thin Mints always win. Bonus points if they’ve been refrigerated. So, the next time Girl Scout cookie season rolls around, go ahead and stock up on Thin Mints. You won’t regret it… even if your stomach might.
Reading Paper Books
There’s something indescribable about the feeling of reading a paper book. It just feels better than reading the words through the screen of a digital device. Reading on a Kindle or tablet cannot compare to the experience of holding a physical book, flipping its pages, underlining phrases, annotating paragraphs, and folding the corners. The activity of reading a paper book engages almost all of the five senses: the familiar smell of a printed book, the tactile experience of progressively turning each page, the sound produced by flipping pages, and (the most obvious) using your eyes to read the words on the page. As an added bonus, ditching the blue light of the screen by switching to paper books is a reprieve for your eyes. While reading on the screen of a tablet is just an activity, reading a paper book is an immersive experience.
Smart Use of AI
Not all methods of using AI are in, let alone ethical. Exploiting AI to write papers bypasses the learning process and the effort required for personal growth. It’s a way to avoid the labor that comes with being a human being. Putting in the work to produce something you’re proud of is an irreplaceable feeling. Using AI the right way to enhance the work you’re already doing, however, can actually open doors to new avenues of thought that wouldn’t have been opened otherwise. Prompting AI to help with brainstorming can put you on the right track, and from there, allow your own hard work to take the reins without depending on AI. You can use AI to create visions for projects or for your future, design charts and tables with information collected from a multitude of websites, formulate practice problems, or make a daily schedule for yourself. Using AI isn’t all bad; it just depends on how you use it. It’s in to know how to use AI ethically and strategically.
Nothing beats a good Pinterest scroll to get your creative juices flowing. Pinterest provides the perfect vision for every party, inspiration for every outfit, and spark for every project. This app allows you to organize your ideas into various boards and even create your own cohesive collage from a collection of photos of your choosing. If you’re trying to spend less time on mainstream social media this year, Pinterest offers a low-pressure way to scroll without the constant comparison that comes with other popular social media platforms.
Like I said before, 2026 is a year for rebranding; it’s for you, not anyone else. Rebranding doesn’t have to be showy or aesthetic; it’s about the subtle choices you make to elevate your day-to-day life. 2026 is a year to follow your intuition and make intentional choices about how you want to live and who you want to become. So, take pleasure in what works for you (on this list or not!), and let go of what doesn’t.