How To Keep New Year's Resolutions When Struggling With Your Mental Health

New Year’s Eve is often a time of hope, joy, and transformation. Some people may set New Year’s resolutions on this holiday, which are goals for the new year used as a fresh start for lasting and positive changes in their lives. Most people have a tough time with resolution follow-through when the newness wears off (the most common reasons for this include not having a specific plan, or choosing a goal that they think they should achieve, rather than one that really matters to them). 

However, living with a mental health condition or challenge may lead to some individuals struggling to hold these New Year’s resolutions. If you’re unsure how to move forward positively with your goals for the new year, there are a few ways you can prioritize your mental health and follow through with New Year’s resolutions simultaneously, from setting realistic goals to working with a therapist. 

Maintaining mental health while making resolutions

New Year’s resolutions are goals individuals set for positive life changes at the beginning of the new year, very often including a resolve to mitigate health risks, and habits to set them on the path to better physical and mental health. However, these goals frequently come with pressure to complete them within the year or judgments about health and wellness. Although setting goals can be a powerful and positive way to make changes, barriers can arise in the process. 
In some cases, people may face symptoms that may make it difficult to focus or find the motivation for resolutions year-round, such as the following:

• Difficulty focusing
• Prolonged sadness 
• Anxiety or stress
• Fear of failure 
• Difficulty practicing self-care 
• Difficulty organizing and planning
• Self-pressure and self-judgment 
• Other common symptoms of mental illnesses

Researchers found that achieving goals can improve symptoms of mental health conditions. For this reason, if barriers to the successful pursuit of goals arise, there are a few ways people with mental health conditions and symptoms may work to keep their resolutions,tap into deeper reasons for follow-through, and keep things fun and positive. 

Setting and maintaining goals: How to keep New Year's resolutions

As the end of the year approaches, many of us find ourselves wondering how to keep New Year’s resolutions. We might engage in negative self-talk, tormenting ourselves over goals and resolutions we failed to accomplish in the past. This often leads to making resolutions at the last minute while we promise ourselves we will achieve more next year. 

While these resolutions are made with good intentions, and the new year seemingly presents a great opportunity for setting goals, many New Year’s resolution ideas come with unnecessary or even unhealthy pressure. 

This type of pressure tends to lead to stress, which can create symptoms of mental illness, as well as exacerbate existing ones. Because of this, approaching new years resolutions with a realistic outlook and healthy mindset is crucial. 

Start with small and realistic goals

The beginning of the new year is a perfect time to start working on yourself, but a common mistake is going too big with goals. It can be tempting to try to implement big, sweeping changes that turn your life around, but research shows that those kinds of changes will ultimately overwhelm and stifle your progress. Start small with your goals. For example, if your large goal is to build a new friend group, start with a goal of joining a local book club. If you want to start exercising regularly, begin with finding and signing up for a gym that suits your needs. To boost results, you may even recruit a partner to keep you accountable.

To stick to your New Year’s resolutions, setting very specific goals is a valuable strategy. This provides you with the framework to create a detailed plan that includes all the small steps necessary to achieve your goals, allowing you to both plan ahead and track progress. Additionally, setting goals that focus on improving overall health and mental well-being rather than surface-level attributes can help you stay motivated.

For example, rather than making a broad resolution to lose weight, set a goal to participate in a half-marathon. This allows you to set clear goals, such as taking daily walks or exercising 1-3 times a week, leading up to the day of the marathon. If your goal is to quit smoking, you might start by making yourself wait 30 minutes to smoke after a craving, or gradually taper your usage. 

Additionally, explaining your resolutions to trusted or close friends can be highly motivating. Friends, family, and other loved ones can often act as guides, motivators, and accountability buddies in the process of setting and reaching goals. When you partner with someone who cares, they can hold you accountable, but also support you when you’re struggling, spend time reviewing how you can improve, and celebrate your wins. Most importantly, working with others can make keeping a resolution fun, no matter what.

When tackling New Year’s resolutions, it is important to keep in mind that often, setting small goals leads to real progress. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and giving yourself the proper time and space to make positive change can be crucial. 

Accommodate yourself

With a new resolution, you may start small to get on the path to larger changes. If your goal is to be more organized this year, you might try adapting what organization means to you and delve into the deeper reasons why this is important for you to achieve. Then, resolve to start small. Perhaps instead of folding all your clothes, you might buy clothes bins to put them in after washing. Instead of cooking a new dinner each night, you might try meal-prepping at the beginning of the week with meals that are easy to reheat or eat on the go. Letting go of ideas of what a situation “should” look like according to social norms or how you were raised may help you develop creative solutions for improving your new year. Rather, think of the new year as the perfect time to commit to taking care of yourself in your own way.

Find deeper meaning in your resolutions

A common challenge with resolutions, related to mental health or otherwise, is that we often don’t look at the deeper reasons that they matter to us. Many people will rattle off behaviors they think of as “good” or “positive”, or choose something they think may be fun, without examining why changing this behavior will resolve or impact something in their lives. Research shows that to make real change, we must be intrinsically motivated, which means that we must really want the change in our lives. Take some time to think about your path forward, what is important and WHY it is important to you personally. When you know your why, you can then take steps to move forward.

Set reminders: A helpful tip for how to keep New Year's resolutions

If you often forget about your New Year’s resolutions after making them, setting reminders at the beginning of the year may be helpful. Write down your resolutions in a list and add each one to your calendar. You might also add one or two monthly reminders to an alarm app on a phone or smart device, so you get an auditory reminder of the task each month. 

When the alarm or reminder goes off, complete one or two tasks necessary to progress toward your resolution. For example, if your goal is to set a new habit of going to the gym more often, you may start by joining a gym. When your reminder goes off, make a pact to go to the gym for at least ten to 30 minutes that day or week. Exercise can be a healthy way to reduce symptoms of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, so you may notice that you start to be more productive as you go. 

Make mental health a priority

Consider setting a New Year’s resolution based on mental health and make mental health a priority throughout the year. You may struggle more to keep resolutions if you are ignoring your symptoms or trying to pretend that you aren’t experiencing barriers. When you are honest with yourself about your mental health needs, you could be more comfortable knowing when you could benefit from a break. 

Below are a few tips to help you prioritize your mental health:

• Don’t set more resolutions than you can take on. 
• Try to avoid judgments about yourself if you face barriers to completing your resolutions. 
• Consider talking to a professional or attending a support group. 
• Take a break when you start to get overwhelmed or stressed with your goals. 
• Practice self-care, such as a healthier diet or sleep hygiene. 
• Accommodate your unique barriers.
• Be patient with yourself. 
• Create to-do lists. 

This New Year, try to set goals with your mental health in mind and give yourself room to make mistakes if your New Year’s resolutions fail or don’t turn out exactly as planned. 

Set healthy boundaries

Unhealthy relationships can significantly and negatively impact mental health. At the beginning of the year, reviewing the connections in your life and how they may be affecting you may be helpful. Some people may choose to end unhealthy relationships, whereas others may make a pact to set stricter boundaries. Setting boundaries can mean setting rules for your time, belongings, body, and emotional energy. When you respect your values in relationships, it may lead to improved mental health and more motivation to work through other resolutions, as well. 

Don’t pressure yourself 

Pressure to perform or meet the standards you set for your resolutions may lead to procrastination or a desire to give up. Ruminating on past failures or areas where you fall short may also be unhealthy. When you pressure yourself, you may be attaching negative self-beliefs to the possibility of failure. For example, someone might set a New Year’s resolution to pass all their tests at school, telling themselves they are “stupid” if they don’t. 

Instead of assigning labels to the possibility of failure, give yourself some space to do your best, even if it means you don’t complete as many of your resolutions as you want. In addition, try to ensure you set an achievable goal. The new year can be a time of transformation, but it is also symbolic of a new beginning and doesn’t necessarily have to follow a specific pattern. You can make changes at any time of year, including at the end of the year or in the following year. When you remove self-pressure from your thoughts, you may open up more possibilities for success. 

Stay positive and celebrate small wins

When making changes, it can be essential to stay positive about your progress. This doesn’t mean that you must pretend that it’s all fun and games and you’re doing great all the time no matter what–you want to be honest with yourself. However, it does mean that you celebrate yourself in those moments when you are doing well, and boost yourself in the moments when you’re struggling. Be your own cheerleader. 

Managing health goals without overwhelm

When you’ve found the perfect time to commit to a fresh start working on yourself, the first step is not to overwhelm yourself with too many details or expectations. When you’re tackling health risks, whether you’ve resolved to healthier eating, regular exercise, or creating stronger social connections, approach your goal with a reasonable outlook. Rather than looking at a health goal as black or white, right or wrong, think of them as a path forward. You may not always succeed every step of the way, but if you keep following the path, you’ll get to your destination. 

How to keep moving forward when things get tough

As fun as a fresh start can be, you will inevitably run into barriers at some point. When you feel stuck, it’s easier to stay positive when you have support. Whether it’s a family member or a trusted friend, having a partner can strengthen your resolve and give you a boost back onto the right path. Loved ones will also help you celebrate your wins and help you to commit if you feel your resolve weakening. If you don’t have someone to keep you accountable or feel like you need a little extra help, therapy can also be an excellent way to get support for both resolutions and overall mental health. 

Work with a therapist

Working with a therapist can be another way to reduce mental health barriers to setting resolutions. A therapist can guide you through ways to form healthier thought patterns and beliefs, as well as coping techniques for common symptoms of mental illnesses like depression. In addition, if you face barriers to in-person therapy, you may be able to connect with an online therapist through a platform like BetterHelp. 

Through an online therapy platform, you can meet with a provider via phone, video, or live chat sessions. Working with a provider from home may also reduce common barriers to mental healthcare, such as commuting or paying for parking. 

Effectiveness of online therapy

Studies also back up the effectiveness and benefits of online therapy. One study on internet-based modalities for depression and anxiety found that online therapy was sometimes more effective than face-to-face modalities. In addition, online therapy was more cost-effective and resulted in a greater quality of life for clients.