New Year’s Resolutions with a Mental Health Focus

The new year is well on its way and resolutions will be abound. It’s well known that new year’s resolutions tend to fall off early in the year. I tend to shy away from choosing a new year for new resolutions—or goals—because it creates an external motivator. You’re motivated because it is the new year rather than because it is what you want to do and you’re ready to do it.

That having been said, I recognize the new year is a great time to set new goals. The hustle and bustle of the holidays is over and January tends to have minimal distractions related to holidays, heavy work -loads, school trips, vacations…etc. Those distractions will pick up after January and in order to stick to your resolution, I recommend making the focus of anything you do related to your mental health.

Why? Maybe it’s because I’m passionate about it, but I like to hope that if you focus on your mental health it will be more meaningful and important than other motivations. Let’s take a look at how you can shift your focus:

Lose Weight/Get Fit

One of the most popular new year’s resolutions, the prospect losing weight packs gyms from January to mid-February…and that’s when the resolution fizzles out. Weight loss is a tough goal to reach because the focus is on the numbers on the scale and the sacrifice of time. This is manageable in January likely because there aren’t as many distractions or temptations as most people detox from the holiday socializing and indulgences. Once February rolls around, holidays, social responsibilities, work load, and more is back in full swing and that’s when resolutions get tested.

If your resolution related to your weight and fitness is focused on sacrifice and loss, as mentioned above, how well are you going to weather the challenge of February’s, March’s, April’s…distractions? Instead, I recommend focusing on the benefits of exercise for mental health. For details, check out this article. When looking at it from a mental health perspective, you can focus on gaining more energy, feeling less anxious, spending your time for self-care, and having more social interaction.

With this focus you gain rather than lose and that alone sounds more positive. But you’re also taking away the fear of the scale, the frustration if you don’t see the numbers drop, and the lament of time not spent elsewhere. If you’re looking to lose weight and get fit in 2020, make your goals about how the process benefits your mental health to keep you motivated.

Save Money

While we may not like it, money is important to daily living as it affords us what we need and what we want—which can often times support self-care. That’s likely why people tend to resolve to save money in the new year. Saving money is an exercise in patience, organization, and prioritizing. So, it’s definitely hard to start and even harder to stick to.

The good news is, patience, organization, and prioritization are great skills to support mental health as well. To bring a mental health focus to saving money, I recommend including practices involving these skills. Challenge yourself to wait and save up over time for an item you might have previously purchased right away and if you make it, reward yourself with a small bonus such as a special coffee or bubble bath. Organize your phone calendar with reminders so that you’re not rushing to get in everything you need to finish before the next month. Choose your priorities based on, not just funds, but time and self-care, too.

Spend Time with Loved Ones

Many of us lead busy lives and it often gets in the way of enjoying the people we love. This seems like a simple fix; open up time for family and friends and plan to use it. What isn’t simple is; a) enjoying the time spent without worrying about all that isn’t getting done; and b) getting others on board.

To start out, if you’re going to commit to making time for friends and family, you have to commit to it being important enough to be in the moment. That may mean practicing mindfulness so you can stay in the moment, writing down all you have to do and when you’ll get it done so your mind can be free when you’re spending time with loved ones, or cutting back on other obligations such as work projects and volunteering. If this is a priority, don’t just make the time for it, make the mental space for it, too.

The trouble with this resolution is that it requires more than just your effort. There’s at least one other person involved in this exchange and if they don’t also put in the time and energy, you can’t make them. Focus on what you can do to reach this resolution and recognize what’s out of your control to reduce the stress of making this happen.

There are many new year’s resolutions such as quitting smoking, drinking less, learning new skills/information, traveling, and the list goes on. Challenge yourself to consider how you can put the focus of these or your own resolutions on mental health. Overall, make whatever resolution you set about what you want and make sure that you have good reasons for it, like your mental health and wellness.

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