Dec 26, 2023
It’s that time of year again, when bullet journals and Pinterest boards are full of New Year's Resolutions. Whether you’re considering setting a goal to lose weight, save money, or strive for new experiences, New Year's Resolution can be a powerful tool to improve your life, accomplish your goals, and increase feelings of self-confidence, self-efficacy, and self-worth.
Improving mental health is always one of the top New Year's Resolutions, and this year is no different. 36% of New Year Resolutions are about improving mental health in 2024. However, the truth about New Year's Resolutions is that most people won’t meet them. Research has shown that only 9% of people actually complete their New Year's Resolution. 23% throw in the towel by the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.
How can you beat these odds and really improve your mental health this year?
Well, like we’ve talked about before, a good New Year's Resolution should be specific. Wanting to improve your mental health is great, but how? People who make specific, achievable goals for the new year are likelier to stick it out month after month and inflict real, positive change in their lives.
So, here are our ten best New Year's Resolutions for your mental health, complete with specific parameters and timelines. And, because life happens, what to do when New Year's Resolutions don’t work.
Ten Best New Year's Resolutions for Your Mental Health
Find a fun way to work out, and do it once a week.
So many of us try to make fitness a priority in the new year, but one look at the crowded, confusing sprawl of gym equipment has us sprinting back out the door and onto our couch. But did you know the World Health Organization recommends only 150-300 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week? That’s thirty minutes, five days a week of brisk walking. There are so many other fun ways to exercise too. Instead of making your way through reps on a sweaty machine, try a dance class, a rock climbing gym, or a hiking group. Join an amateur sports league on the weekends, or listen to podcasts or a TV show while you walk. Find something that you’re excited to do, and do it moderately.
Try three new things.
You know that bucket list you wrote years ago and squirreled away into the back of your bookshelf? What if you did three things on that list? It doesn’t have to be the whole list, but just a few. So many of us are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things we will never get to do that we become paralyzed. Try three new things that you’ve been curious about.
Do something uncomfortable once a month.
It’s easy to get stuck in your comfort zone and routine. While routines are great for building habits, stability, and mental health, they can also be limiting. By committing to do one uncomfortable thing a month, you’re proving to yourself that you can do hard things. It builds self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth. Maybe it’s taking public transportation, cooking a new meal, or going out with a new friend.
Start a self-care routine.
Be specific about it! Maybe you wake up and go outside before looking at your phone. Or maybe you commit to doing a skincare routine or journaling for ten minutes before bed. Start small with one self-care activity and stick with it.
Decrease screen time by 10%.
A lot of us want to decrease screen time, but our screens have an addictive quality to them. It’s hard to put them down. It can help to have a number for your goal. Saying “I want to decrease screen time” makes it easy to feel guilty any time you look at your phone. Our goal is not to eliminate our screens but to become less dependent on them. Most phones have a screen time app already installed. If not, there are free screen time apps you can download. Go a few days with normal screen time use. Notice how many hours you’re on your phone. Now choose a doable goal. For example, if you were at 2 hours of screen time every day, your goal could be to decrease it to 1.5 hours. If you reach that before the New Year is up, make another goal!
Go on a social media diet.
Similar to screen time, social media can be addicting and not always a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to keep up with friends or explore your interests with others. However, ten minutes can quickly turn into two hours. Instead of cutting social media off completely, practice a social media diet. This means being stricter on when and how much you use social media. For example, no social media before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m. is a simple goal but could drastically cut down on your social media time.
Try a mindfulness exercise.
Learning to meditate is a popular New Year's Resolution. As powerful as meditation can be, it’s not the only mindfulness exercise. If you want to learn meditation but are intimidated by it, try a different mindfulness practice like box breathing, color scanning, or the 54321 grounding method.
Deep clean one room a month.
Getting organized can be a huge task, and if you start the New Year with the goal of “getting organized” you might find yourself scrambling next December to do some last-minute cleaning. Instead, make it your goal to declutter, organize, and donate any unused items from one room once a month. By the end of the year, you should have a house that, even if it doesn't stay clean, has an organizational system in place and less junk decorating your floors.
Compliment yourself once a day.
Did you know positive affirmations can increase your mood and mental health? It’s true. Telling yourself positive affirmations can be a great confidence booster. Make it your goal to tell yourself a compliment once a day. It could be out loud or in your head, in front of the mirror, or whenever you remember, something unique every day or the same affirmation every day.
Try journaling weekly.
Journaling is a big habit to try and pick up. While some people swear by it, a lot more stumble through a few paragraphs once or twice a month. The blank page is overwhelming. Take away some of the anxiety around journaling by decreasing the amount you’re expected to journal. Instead of daily, start with monthly. After a few months, progress to weekly. Or, instead of trying to outline your entire day, start by writing a sentence or two.
Romanticize your life.
A lot of our life is day-in and day-out sameness. We wake up, make breakfast, go to work, shower, maybe hang out with friends or go to the gym, eat, and go to bed. While there is nothing wrong with this, and it might just be what you want, it can feel like you’re missing the newness and joy of abundance. Romanticize your life by lighting a candle when you’re showering, making a work playlist to listen to during your commute, getting a fun coffee syrup so you can drink fancy coffee at home, or setting up a movie night with snacks and comfy blankets.
Connect with friends once a month.
Life gets busy and it’s easy to let our relationships go by the wayside. Instead of beating yourself up about it, take the time to meet with a friend just once a month.
Commit to a healthier sleep routine.
Sleep is one of the most important factors in mental health. How to improve your sleep routine largely depends on what your sleep routine is already like. Maybe it’s going to bed earlier, limiting your screen time before bed, using a white noise machine, or sleeping according to your circadian rhythm. Find one thing you can change and stick to it.
Get outside daily.
We get it—it’s comfortable inside. All of your things are inside. It’s predictable inside. While there’s nothing wrong with being an inside person, there are a lot of mental health benefits to be found outdoors. The sun provides valuable vitamins to your skin, the fresh air can clear your lungs, and it’s good for your mental health to be on grass and dirt. You don’t have to become that person who eats granola for three meals a day and spends weeks living out of a backpack. But maybe try to spend fifteen minutes outside every day. You could go for a walk, sit outside and read, or call a friend.
See a therapist.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your mental health is get help. Licensed therapists can help you work through everything in your mind and build healthier habits and thought patterns. Lifebulb offers expert therapy online and in person. For more information, or to schedule an appointment today, give us a call.
When New Year's Resolution don’t work.
Sometimes you can be as prepared as possible, have the best goals laid out, and still not meet your goals.
When your New Year's Resolution doesn’t work, the first thing you should do is give yourself compassion. A lot is going on in your life, and adding a new habit on top of everything is going to be hard. Not meeting your New Year's Resolution does not affect your worth.
Secondly, see if you can get back on track. You don’t have to do everything 100% perfect. When we think we have to do everything or nothing at all, we’re engaging in a cognitive distortion called all-or-nothing thinking. If you didn’t exercise for two weeks, nothing is stopping you from starting up again now. Small progress forward is better than no progress at all.
Finally, if you find it difficult to accomplish your New Year's Resolution, consider if it’s the right New Year’s resolution for you. What’s been stopping you from completing it? Why is this goal important to you? Is there a different goal that would better serve you? Changing goals halfway through the year is completely fine, great even. The goal of New Year's Resolutions isn’t to state exactly what you will accomplish next year but to provide guidelines for the betterment of yourself.
Of course, our therapists are always here if you need us. We offer counseling for life transitions and life coaching to help you reach your goals. You deserve the best, and that includes the best that you can give yourself.
