Are New Year’s Resolutions Bad?
A Healthier Michigan
| 4 min read
Each year, Americans fail to achieve up to 90% of their New Year’s resolutions. More than 20% of people give up on their resolutions in the first week, and more than 40% give up within the first month. Are there any benefits to making New Year’s resolutions, or do they set you up for disappointment and failure? Reframe your thinking around resolutions and new habits or lifestyle changes and you’ll likely see better results.
Why do New Year’s resolutions fail so often?
New Year’s resolutions tend to stem from events, habits or lifestyles that leave us unfulfilled, unhappy or wishing for different outcomes. This can lead to a decision to make a change by adding new habits or avoiding bad ones. The word resolution means a firm decision that you are committed to seeing through. The decision part is easy, but committing to the decision and sticking with it is when it gets difficult is when most resolutions fail.
Tying lifestyle changes to a specific calendar date or stretch of time is one way to set yourself up for failure. It adds a time-crunch to the resolution and can feel like a rule you must abide by, which can cause resentment. There is no better time to make a change than when you first think of it or decide to do it.
Many people make the decision their resolution ahead of time and give themselves a grace period, usually during the holidays, to continue bad habits. Every new day, next meal, trip to the grocery store or step out of the door is a chance to change your behavior for the better. This also can help relieve the urge to give up on a resolution the first time you slip up. Each slip up or regression to a bad habit doesn’t have to be the end of this lifestyle change; it’s important to pick yourself up and try again. Think of these decisions as the beginning of a lifelong journey to improve your health, not as a starting signal for a sprint.
Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. Deciding to exercise more is a good decision, but what type of exercise are you going to do? Do you have the gear and access to your chosen exercise? Will starting with a low-requirement exercise like walking or running be a better idea than committing to a new sport or exercise you don’t know if you will like? Many people make diet decisions such as going vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian. This usually involves people considering the things they won’t eat anymore, but do you know how to cook healthy vegan food or do you have a plan to learn more about these diets? Make sure you are choosing resolutions or goals you can achieve.
It’s important to pick goals or resolutions that are realistic and achievable. This relies on you being honest with yourself and what amount of change you can make – usually it will start slow, which can be discouraging, but picking a realistic goal will make you more likely to stick with it and not give up when you don’t see changes quickly.
What are better ways to make lifestyle changes?
Make sure your goals are SMART goals, which means they are:
- specific
- measurable
- achievable
- relevant
- time-bound
Tips for setting SMART goals
Specific goals make you more likely to follow through. How many hours of exercise will you start adding each week? Each week, how many meals will you replace red meat with a different main course? In what ways will you treat those in your life better? Consider the specificity of your goals and dial them in more if you need to.
Make your goals measurable. Progress that can’t be measured may leave you discouraged or unconvinced that the changes are working. Create a benchmark or progress tracking system for your goals. This can provide encouragement as you work toward your goals.
Choosing goals that are achievable sets you up for success. Know yourself, your capabilities and your schedule and make goals accordingly.
Relevant goals serve your end intention of being happier and healthier. Time-bound means you give yourself achievable deadlines or windows of time to stay on pace to meet your goals. These checkpoints can help you stay engaged and motivated.
Remember each day is a new chance to make progress toward your goal. Nobody immediately nails their first attempt at a lifestyle change. Keep working toward your goals, and you will be more encouraged and have a higher likelihood of sticking with your decisions than you would by making a New Year’s resolution.
Image: Getty Images
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