As the new year rings in, many people create resolutions to improve their habits or lifestyles. And as the first month of the year nears an end, those resolutions often have fizzled.
The resolutions involve making a positive change, like eating healthier or going to the gym. They often emphasize health and wellbeing or a personal achievement.
But these goals can be unrealistic and lead to abandonment often only a few weeks after they start.
When asked in a survey how long their resolutions last, over half of Americans responded with three months or less. Intense changes in lifestyle like a new diet or quitting social media lose their luster after only a few weeks.
Vanessa Kercher, a health and wellness professor at IU’s School of Public Health, says the excitement of a new year can make people set impractical goals.
“It should be every couple of months that you reevaluate what you’re doing, new things you should be accomplishing, but it’s hard to do that because we are humans, and life happens,” she said.
These goals are also set with a big accomplishment in mind, like running a marathon, but without smaller steps along the way, it can be hard to follow through. Reflecting on current lifestyle choices can help prevent burnout.
Kercher recommends that those struggling with their goals ask themselves if they are already doing any of their goals and start with an experimental phase before jumping to larger resolutions. Instead of going to the gym every day, start with one or two times a week for a better adjustment.
“What fits your lifestyle? What do you actually want to do, and what are you going to accomplish?” she said. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
She also suggests meeting with a health or wellness coach to set goals and see what obstacles lie in the way. Sharing goals with a loved one or peer can also help keep accountability and give helpful feedback.
Even though work, family, and other factors can make new changes feel difficult, goals can be set any time and don’t have to follow an all-or-nothing mentality. Kercher sees setbacks as a normal part of the process and encourages others to keep trying.
“Just be kind to yourself,” she said. “Failure is inevitable, so shake it off, try something different, and always check in with what makes sense in your life right now.”
