The clock strikes midnight as the Times Square ball drops, cheering fills homes all over the world as we enter the new year.  In the blink of an eye, the calendar switched from 2020 to 2021. 

Many people view this as a great opportunity to shake things up and start anew, to set goals and resolutions for the new year with the intent of change. According to Goskills.com, some very popular resolutions people make are exercising more, losing weight, getting organized, saving money, quitting smoking, and traveling more. 

Although New Year’s resolutions can be life-changing for some, others don’t see the same transformations.

“According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions were successful. That means over half of the people who set a goal for the new year will fail!” reporter Brad Zomick said.

To some people, failing might not seem like a big deal at the moment but the lasting effects of failure are more extreme than people think.  Psychology Today elaborates on how failure “paralyze[s] you,” leaving many limited when it comes to future success. 

“Failure makes the same goal seem less attainable,… [it]also distorts your perceptions of your abilities”, Guy Winch, Ph.D., said.

When creating New Year’s resolutions, being honest with yourself is a key component, being truthful about your abilities and making sure it’s something attainable.  

“[Making resolutions] can be bad if it adds stress or creates unhappiness or feelings of failure.  Realistic goals should be chosen.  Focus on increasing healthy activities rather than strict numbers/etc,” Bob Boeckman, the SCHS psychologist, said. 

Mental health also plays a big role in making and/or completing New Year’s resolutions. Some decide to make goals centering around being happier or changing their state of mind in order to improve their mental health.

“Some of my goals [for this year] are to be outside more often and find something new and exciting that would normally be out of my comfort zone. I also hope to take care of my mental health better this year,” freshman Natalie Steele said.  

On the contrary, many decide not to create resolutions for themselves in the event that they can’t complete what they started. Despite this, they still think it is healthy to review daily habits to make sure they are “for the good or greater”.

“I don’t usually set resolutions because I think they are kind of superficial and they are hard to follow through with because they are usually very large goals. I prefer to work on things throughout the year and gradually work to make new habits,” senior Carter Blom said. 

Jumping into the new year might seem like a perfect opportunity for change but instead of looking at what was wrong in 2020 that needs to be changed in 2021, look at what was good and why it was good.  Make note of when you were the happiest and what was causing you to feel happy.  Then try to implement those types of activities into the new year to create more positive experiences.  

“I would recommend resolutions that are fun and fulfilling instead of limiting.  For example, I want to increase the number of fun physical activities, like hiking, I do with my friend XYZ.  Try not to make it an all or nothing so that you don’t give up after one “failure”,” Boekman said. 

Mental health is a huge problem in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and working on setting yourself up for success with goals that are realistic can translate to a happier and more positive life.