New Year Resolutions and your Mental Health

I’m a bit of a New Year sceptic.? I’m a person prone to cynicism, let me be honest about that, but the calendar ticking over to another year has never felt terribly profound to me. ??The 1st of January was basically Wednesday – but with the added bonuses of no work and still lots of chocolate in the house!

This attitude generally extends to new year’s resolutions.? Someone asked if I planned to make any and it got me thinking about the impacts of resolutions on mental health.

Typically, new year’s resolutions are made in the hope of a change in lifestyle, invariably to improve physical health.? Exercise more, drink less and stop smoking being some of the classics.? There’s irrefutable proof that all of the above are good ideas.? Of course they are!? I’m not suggesting that this isn’t the case, but there’s a balance to be struck between physical and mental health.

When resolutions fail, as they do with some inevitability, what can follow is a sense of failure.? We often build allowances in for failure here, making a resolution knowing full well it’s very unlikely to stay the course, but it’s only natural to still internalise this as a failure.? There’s already so much in our lives that can contribute to a feeling that we aren’t enough - so why do we add extra pressure to ourselves every January?

When I was asked if I was making any new year’s resolutions, I pondered for a while and came up with three options to try and find that balance:

1. Make a positive change instead – Resolutions are typically geared towards reducing something that is bad for you.? Instead, try increasing something that is good for you.? Read more books.? Spend time in the garden.? Go to the theatre.? See some live music.? Learn a new skill.? Write a blog.? Get outside and enjoy some nature. ?Spend more time with friends.? The list is endless!
2. Make a plan and set realistic expectations – If you’re determined to lose weight or cut down on the booze then great! ?However, make a plan on how to achieve this.? A target without a strategy will only result in getting lost.? Would you drive somewhere you’ve never been before without so much as a quick glance at Google maps?? Also, have an achievable target in mind – and go easy on yourself if you don’t reach it.? A marginal improvement is still an improvement.? Remember - it’s all about balance.
3. Don’t make a resolution – We’re all very aware of the areas of our lives that need work.? None of us are the finished article and it being a new year doesn’t make us any more aware of this.? Continue to work on yourself but without the restrictions of wholesale change at the turn of the year.

No matter what your 2025 resolutions are, I wish you all the best in achieving your goals but I ask you to always consider the impact on your overall wellbeing.

So, did I make a resolution?? I did as it happens!? My hobby of (very) amateur wildlife photography really tailed off in 2024 so I’ve committed to spending more time out and about trying to get some nice shots – I may only get the usual blurry mess but the extra steps certainly won’t hurt!