I always knew 2023 was going to come around sooner than I anticipated, but as an upcoming college graduate, I’m shocked that the new year’s already almost here. It’s a year that’s going to be full of firsts and lasts — like earning my Bachelor’s degree and searching for my first “big girl” job — and I’ve set some big personal goals. Of course, one of those is to foster the growth of my New Year’s resolutions, but we all know how hard that can be sometimes.
Every January, the media becomes oversaturated with ads for weight loss programs or gym memberships, in addition to mythical “fixes” that are supposed to magically turn your life around. But let me be brutally honest when I say that becoming a member of your local gym isn’t going to instantaneously change your life.
Here’s what experts say will: creating new habits around your intentions — at any point in the year, not just the new year. So, really, you hold the keys to unlocking your fullest potential. Changing your lifestyle little by little might help you fix some areas of your life that need a little extra TLC.
Here’s an example. Personally, I found that sitting on my phone scrolling through TikTok for an hour every morning on the weekend wasn’t serving me any good. That was something I wanted to change. But how was I supposed to effectively create new habits for myself without falling back into old patterns? Here are a few easy (yet incredibly powerful) expert-backed tips that changed my life that you can use to your advantage, too.
- Bigger isn’t always better.
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First things first, you need to consider what resolution or intention makes sense for your lifestyle, and it doesn’t need to be a resounding, life-altering one. Darlene Marshall, a NASM-certified wellness coach, tells Her Campus, “So often at the new year, we focus on accomplishment and how we’ll drive ourselves forward, but after two years of burnout and overwhelm that might not feel right for you.” She continues, “Focusing on how you want to feel and what you know about yourself might [help you] be more aligned [with your goals].”
Marshall also says you shouldn’t just start making changes because of the new year. “If you know you have specific outcomes, go for your goals, but don’t force it just because it’s Jan. 1,” she says. “We know for goals to truly be effective, they need to align with our authentic selves.”
Jessica Miller, a licensed mental health counselor with PsycheMag, agrees, and encourages people to “make your habit easy to pursue.” To start, she says, “divide the task into small steps and make it a habit.” Miller uses the example of aiming to wake up earlier in the morning. “Start with waking up 20 to 30 minutes early, then add another 20 to 30 minutes. If you immediately wake up two hours before, you will lose motivation within two to three days.”
- Remember your why.
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Licensed therapist Lauren Cook-McKay tells Her Campus that, when trying to build new habits, “Forget the how” and focus more on the reason you’re choosing to change this habit in the first place. She says,“To ensure you’ll push through with your commitment to a new habit and actually stick to [it], use the reasons why you’re making these changes as the driving forces that motivate you. Holding on to your motivations will keep you connected to the deepest desires that enable you to gain valued outcomes.”
- Use habit stacking.
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Of course, it can be frustrating and exhausting trying to figure out how to kick old habits and replace them with new and improved ones. Habit stacking is a method that helps make forming new habits exciting, and if you look forward to doing something, it makes it all the more enjoyable. Habit stacking is the practice of combining one task you don’t really look forward to doing with another that you find joy in. Habit stacking isn’t a new phenomenon, but it’s recently gone viral on TikTok.
Here’s an example of how it works. One of my goals is to improve my physical activity. So, after I finish my morning yoga routine, I listen to a podcast. This “reward” of getting to listen to my favorite podcast makes me look forward to continuing my physical fitness journey.
- Give yourself room to fail.
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Many people, including myself, feel hesitant about change because we’re worried about failing. But, it’s completely normal to fail. Even having taken that first step to try something new will serve you well.
Cut yourself some slack, and congratulate yourself for taking the initial leap to implement change in your life. “The wellness journey isn’t always easy, and many of us meet our suffering with aggression,” Marshall says. “Learning how to connect with self-compassion can change the landscape of how you relate to yourself and set a fresh tone for the new year.”
