The concept of new year resolutions is not ‘new‘, thanks to pop culture. Millions of people, at some point in their lives (and possibly this year as well), resolved to follow through with an objective to be achieved by the end of the year and very few of us got through. In a 2019 survey conducted by YourGov of the British polling council, only 7% of people followed through all their new year resolutions fully and that is a very small number which signifies, you aren’t alone.
HOW DID NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS BEGIN?
The tradition of a new year is found more common in the western part of the world, although as of 2022, the trend is picking up in the east as well. A common objective is to change or improve a trait or behavior or resolve to accomplish something at the start of every new year.
The earliest records say that the Romans made promises to the god Janus after whom the month of January is named and in the medieval era, the knights took “peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season to confirm their commitment. Following this tradition, thousands are vowed are made every year by thousands of people around the world.
MOST COMMON NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
The following two graphs from Statista show the most common New year resolutions in the United States and the United Kingdom respectively.
1. Exercise:
Something is driving people to exercise. It’s either obesity or insecurity about looks but in any case, having this as a new year resolution looks very common. Gyms see a huge rise in subscriptions around every December and January. Many brave people pay for the yearly membership as well. Joining the trend, many health food chains have started giving good offers during the same period.
2. Healthy food:
That brings us to the second most popular new year resolution: eating healthy food. Every January, it looks like, sales of junk food go down and sales of healthy food go up. There are many variables involved in defining healthy food and it is different for different people but as The Oxford Vegetarian Study concludes that overall mortality is lower in the vegetarian population compared to the meat-eating population, many people are inclining towards vegetarianism.
3. Family time:
The western world has a common problem – which now the eastern part seems to be picking up as well – which is spending less time with Family. Many people regret not spending enough time with their families and that seems to be the next popular resolution. Although post lockdowns in your countries, I think this resolution may see a change in the next few years. Also, using the phone when sitting with family does not count as family time.
KEEPING THOSE RESOLUTIONS
Making those resolutions may be the easy part but keeping them is an entirely different story. If you want 2022 to be better than all previous years then try using certain assistive tools or techniques which will help you to stick to those resolutions. Following are five ways that can be used to keep you glued to your resolutions:
1. Planning:
Have a complete and concrete plan which will help you with your resolutions. This plan should be as specific as possible and should be broken down into achievable steps. A detailed plan will help you to follow it step-by-step and also assist you to anticipate the upcoming obstacles and prepare you for them. An example of bad planning would be, “I will spend more time with my family” but a good plan would be “I will spend 6-8hrs of every second Saturday with my parents.”
2. Cry foul:
This step requires you to be ruthless and merciless when it comes to yourself. As much as many psychologists argue that punishment is not a good way to motivate, negative motivation does have some positive effects. Start penalizing yourself when the resolution does not go according to the detailed plan above. One effective way would be to declare on social media – “I ate a pizza today which did not help me in achieving my fitness goal”. That may be embarrassing for many of us which will help us to work harder to achieve that goal. Stickk is one such website that helps you to stick to your goal. Another is Beeminder.
3. Fun is the key:
After the newness of the new year resolution wears off, it starts to feel dry and rough to lift those dumbells or the bed starts to feel cozier. The fizzling out of the new year resolutions is faster every year and many have come to the point of not making one “Coz I’m gonna abandon it anyway”. Making the resolutions fun is another way to last them longer. Start with a goal that you enjoy more than you want. For example, staying fit is not easy and requires exercise. But what if you hate working out every day? Mix it up! One day Cardio, the next weights, then Yoga, then a day of the walk and finally breathing exercises. Having a variety helps and makes it easier. You may also start liking one exercise.
You can also combine it with temptation and rewards. “If I work out today as planned I will reward myself with a perfume (NOT PIZZA!)” or “If I spend uninterrupted 6hrs with parents this Saturday, I will reward myself with a movie” Make sure your rewards don’t negate your resolution or else, on next 31st Dec, you’ll be exactly where you started with every progress you made neutralized by the reward.
4. Rainy days:
Life isn’t without those days when you have to break that resolution or pause for a while. Be prepared for those rainy days and try not to be hard on yourself only on those days. On the non-rainy days, be hard on yourself as much as you can, and whenever you feel like pausing or stopping or giving up, tell yourself that you will do it when you have to pause on those rainy days. It could be emergency travel which would disrupt your plans with meeting family or you may have to eat fast food because your little sister insisted. Instead of breaking her heart, go on and eat that pizza with a promise to not stop working out for the next two weeks.
5. Get a friend to help you:
Workouts are easier when you have a workout partner. It keeps you motivated and you in turn keep that friend motivated. Trust your friend with your resolution and be honest when you discuss your progress with him.
Alternatively, you can act as a motivator to your friend, which improves you following that path as well. It forces you to introspect yourself and question your behavior when you don’t follow your words. Friends can add fun to achieving your new year’s resolution.
How is your new year resolution coming along?