Spoiler Alert–my resolutions fell off two weeks into 2023
Like so many other people, I made New Year’s resolutions this year with the intent to use the fresh start of a new year to better myself. I bought a notebook, wrote down my goals, and for the first few weeks of the year, it was going really well. I was also really into listening to podcasts and trying to absorb as much information as possible about building habits and sticking to them. As many podcasts, websites and wellness resources will tell you, it takes time to form habits. Many people say 21 days, while others argue it can take up to two months for habits to become second nature. I spent the first two weeks of the year really focusing on a few habits– drinking water, taking vitamins and moving my body in some way. As the spring semester of my senior year began in late January, life got hectic and my habits slipped to the backburner. As spring break approaches and the weather gets a little warmer, I am finding myself with a new sense of motivation again. I want to reflect on my original New Year’s resolutions and recenter them in a way that aligns with my busy life in school.
1. Drink more water
This one is pretty obvious and self explanatory. At the beginning of the year, I was having at least 64 oz of water every day. As the year has gone on, however, I have found myself going back to soda or coffee over water in most scenarios. One way that I have been trying to get back on track with this goal is to drink water with all of my meals rather than a “fun” drink (soda, tea, coffee, etc) and save my “fun” drinks for when I’m doing homework or watching TV at the end of the day.
2. Prioritize health (eating, movement, mental health, etc)
This goal has been going alright for me thus far, but I think I could be doing more. Right now my eating has been relatively balanced, I have been prioritizing fruits and veggies and packing a lunch to bring with me to eat in between classes or to work on busy days rather than buying lunch. My movement is where I want to make some improvements. Lately, most of my movement on a daily basis comes from walking around campus by going to classes, work and club meetings but I am hoping to slowly start to incorporate more leisure walks or outdoor activities as the weather gets warmer. Getting outside also usually helps my mental health so those go hand-in-hand with this goal.
3. Read more (15 books by 2024)
Frankly, this might be the goal that is going the worst for me right now. I have read maybe four days total in 2023 and have yet to finish a single book. I think something that is hindering this goal is the fact that I recently re-downloaded TikTok which has once again ruined my productivity (check out my original article about deleting TikTok). Something I have discovered about myself is that I just don’t have the self control to have the TikTok app during the school year and I can only have it downloaded during times like summer and winter break, so for this goal I think deleting TikTok is my best bet to get back on track.
4. Get out of my comfort zone more
As I look at the page in my journal where I wrote my resolutions on January 1st, I am embarrassed to say I forgot this was even on my list of resolutions, so that tells you how well it’s going. I will say that I have plans to travel to a state I have never been to before with my friends for spring break and I have been trying to go out and take as many opportunities provided for me in my last semester of college, but I think this resolution will really be a priority for me after my May 2023 graduation when I enter my post-grad life.
5. Be more confident in not only my body, but my personality and mind
Confidence is something I have always struggled with, and I am not sure that I have been putting as much effort into this goal as I hoped I would when I wrote it down in January. Something that a lot of podcasts I listen to really push is positive affirmations and manifesting a mindset that allows for confidence to come naturally. I think the best way for me to approach this goal and bring it back to the top of my mind is to work on daily affirmations that remind me to be my most confident self.
Many of these resolutions are pretty basic and I am sure many people can relate to them, so I hope this article encourages even one person (even if it’s just me) to get back into their resolution mindset as we approach spring. I think a lot of these things are attainable and realistic, it will just require small changes throughout my day to see a large payoff in the end.