Have you made your New Year’s resolutions for 2025 yet? With just a few more days remaining in 2024, you still have some time to decide what changes you would like to make in the coming year. If you are one of the 38% of adults in the United States who makes New Year’s resolutions, chances are your resolutions are related to health/exercise/diet, money/finances, and/or relationships. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 80% of 2024 New Year’s resolutions were related to health/exercise/diet.
But are New Year’s resolutions worth it? Well, this can depend in large part on where you fall within a schema known as the Transtheoretical Model of Change. This model consists of five stages. Individuals in precontemplation are not thinking about making change and may be unaware there is a problem to address. These people are not making New Year’s resolutions. In the contemplation phase, individuals are aware there is a problem to be addressed and are considering change, but are not yet ready. They may make New Year’s resolutions that never get off the ground. In the preparation phase, people are intending action and making little changes. Some of these people will start the New Year making changes and will either not last long or they may progress to the maintenance phase, where people are actively working to maintain their changes to prevent relapse of old habits.
Only 36% of people who make New Year’s resolutions keep them beyond January, with fewer than 10% actually seeing their resolutions through. No matter how far you get with your New Year’s resolutions, failing to meet your goals can be disappointing. So, what can you do? If you are not ready to make a goal for the New Year- don’t! There is nothing about flipping the calendar to new year that requires you to make a change you aren’t ready for. If you are ready, make realistic goals. Maybe you want to lose 20 pounds in 2025, but set shorter-term goals within that. Maybe try to lose 2-3 pounds in January. If you want to save more money or spend more time exercising, make sure you aren’t making changes that are so drastic that they aren’t sustainable. There is no quicker way to fail than to make an unrealistic goal. Lastly, if you fall off the wagon, it’s not a total loss. Don’t give up! Nobody is perfect. Get back on that wagon and keep going. It’s ok to revise your goals. We have plenty of 2025 ahead of us to get back on track.
So, should YOU make a New Year’s resolution? Maybe- if you are truly ready to make that change. But there is no rule that says you can’t make a Valentine’s resolution, a summer resolution, or even a Labor Day resolution when YOU are ready. And if you need a little motivation or someone to cheer you on, mental health professionals can be great assets to help you navigate the complexities of making those changes.