Realistic New Year’s Resolutions To Help Mental Health And Stress

While the total number of people who complete their New Year’s resolution ideas may be discouraging, research into self-control, goal attainment, and motivation has yielded some guidance regarding increasing the chances of success. It may be valuable to look at which New Year's resolutions are most effective for the new year and how to further bolster your chances of fully committing to personal growth.

Do New Year’s resolutions stick?

Although New Year's resolutions are popular, with nearly 40% of Americans reporting making resolutions in 2023, the outcomes of new year’s resolutions can often be disheartening. Despite the widespread popularity of resolutions, evidence suggests less than 10% of people follow through on them completely. They may have made partial improvements, but the study found that most did not attain the success they hoped for over the past year. 

Despite these statistics, it can be possible to stick to your New Year’s resolutions, regardless of the theme. However, it may be helpful to look at which are considered “most achievable” in the long term and ways to make it easier for these new year’s goals to stick.

Which resolutions are the most achievable? The most realistic New Year’s resolutions to set this year

For some individuals, the exact resolution may not decide whether they will follow through on their goals for the entire year. What may matter more is how they select the specific goals associated with their New Year’s resolution, what level of support they can find, and whether there are options for accountability. The most realistic resolutions, therefore, may be those that provide easy structure and support throughout the year.

Evidence suggests that common and typical resolutions tend to be the most successful. Common resolutions may be the best New Year’s resolutions because they typically come with strong support communities, better resources, and positive goal-attainment behaviors. These benefits can make all the difference in whether you reach your goals.

Results from a Forbes Health One Poll survey identified the top five New Year's resolutions for the coming year:

1. Improve physical fitness.

2. Save money. 

3. Improve mental health.

4. Lose weight.

5. Eat healthier food.

Note that the New Year’s resolutions listed above are broad, and people may interpret them differently. While not everyone may have the same goals for their resolution, common elements that facilitate success can appear. 

For example, a person who intends to improve their fitness may look for resources like gyms, professional guidance, and a supportive community. Similarly, someone whose resolution focuses on losing weight may have a clear idea of what that entails: eating a balanced diet with lean proteins, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. In contrast, someone with a less popular resolution, like adopting a new hobby or adjusting their morning routine in the new year, may not have as clear of a path to success or may not have examples around them to reference when making a plan. In some cases, less popular resolutions can make for unrealistic goals, as it may be more difficult to determine what to focus on.

How to increase the chances of success with realistic New Year’s resolutions

While choosing a common New Year’s resolution might be a way to boost the likelihood that it will be accomplished, it may not be guaranteed. Individuals can be susceptible to the challenges associated with goal attainment, and factors beyond willpower can play a significant role. Evidence suggests that brute-force willpower is one of the least effective ways to achieve a goal. While some people with superhuman willpower can build habits almost effortlessly, others may benefit from additional support to reach goals that improve their overall well-being. 

Research surrounding the main barriers to achieving resolutions has identified several ways people can increase their chances of success. While each person's journey toward reaching their goals can look different, addressing common barriers to success could significantly increase the number of realistic resolution choices a person has. Below are a few strategies to consider. 

Improve your goal selection

Goal selection may be one of the most crucial parts of a journey to complete a resolution, making it a great starting point for planning. This step includes picking a suitable resolution for the new year and ensuring a plan. Some may choose broad resolutions, like "improve fitness,” “increase physical strength,” “find a new daily routine,” “get more sleep,” or "reduce stress." While those goals can benefit the person pursuing them, and finding ways to be fitter or manage stress better are admirable resolutions, they may be too broad to be considered good goals. Evidence suggests that broad goals are less likely to be attainable than more manageable goals. Developing smaller goals that pave a path to the broader "main" goal can be critical. 

Example scenario

Consider a person who wants to set a resolution to eat healthier in the coming year. On its own, "eat a healthier diet" may be too broad, and it can be overwhelming and difficult to tell what criteria indicate the goal has been met. Using the SMART approach, the person breaks down their broad resolution into a series of more manageable goals, examples of which might include:

• "Every day, I will reduce the number of calories I consume by no less than 2% until I hit my goal of no more than 1,800 calories per day, taking no more than two weeks to do so."

• “I will continue drinking less alcohol until I consume fewer than three drinks per week, to be accomplished within three months.”

• "I will increase how many of my daily calories come from fruits and vegetables until I accomplish my goal of at least 35 portions of fruits and vegetables every seven days, to be completed within six months."

• "I will learn at least four new healthy recipes each month, with the goal of trying a new recipe each week of the year, to promote a heart-healthy diet."

Conduct a motivation survey

Although making New Year resolutions in January is a tradition many people may practice, evidence suggests that initiating a goal based on tradition may interfere with attaining it. Conduct a thorough self-analysis regarding which goals may benefit you compared to those you want to achieve. Evidence indicates that need-based goals help a person stay motivated more than aspirational goals. For example, setting a resolution to lower blood pressure or improve work-life balance may be more successful than aspirational goals like “learn a new musical instrument.” 

Needing to change introduces intrinsic motivation that can make it easier to accomplish a goal. Survey your motivations to see if any goal resonates more than others. If you find that you have more motivation to dedicate toward one goal over another, take time to consider whether it serves your needs. If it does, it may be easier to accomplish. It may also be worthwhile to start a gratitude journal to help identify where you are already satisfied in life and where you feel you could improve. You might also consider creating a vision board that aligns with your goals as you consider what motivates you the most. The new year may be the perfect time to consider your feelings and what you would like to change in the future. It can serve as a new beginning to engage in self-improvement and cultivate self-esteem and self-compassion as you build momentum toward your goals.

Make a backup plan

No goal, no matter how well designed, may be immune to random chance or adverse life circumstances. Some goals and resolutions are not achieved because of unexpected obstacles and challenges. For example, someone who made a resolution to stick to a rigid cleaning schedule at home might find that goal derailed by changes in their work schedule. Or a person who commits to spending more time in nature may need to adopt a few indoor plants to keep their space green when the seasons change. In the long run, nearly every goal may be derailed in some way or another.

Aim to anticipate the potential reality of a well-crafted resolution plan becoming derailed by situations beyond your control. Predicting every situation that could interfere with your goals may be impossible and counter-productive, but determining the most significant potential threats that could affect your progress may be helpful. For example, if you set a goal to save more money this year than the year before, devise an advanced plan to adjust your goals if unforeseen expenses arise.  

Establish a system of accountability to promote mental health

Accountability refers to harnessing the power of an outside force, often another person, group, or app, to ensure you stay on track toward your resolution. This can be a key part of achieving the resolutions you had in mind as you celebrated a Happy New Year, and for good reason. Typically, you inform others about your intended goals, what you do to accomplish them, and when you expect to complete that stage of your resolution. Accountability is important, even if a goal is fun, like learning a new craft, taking an adventurous road trip, or making time to create the perfect cheesecake recipe. 

The people you inform, often friends, family, and other loved ones, aren't responsible for ensuring you meet your goals. However, sharing your goal with them may boost the chances you accomplish it, especially if the person or people you discuss it with have already achieved similar goals. For instance, if your goal is exercising more, you might talk about it with a friend who has an established exercise habit. If you’d like to improve your brain health by completing puzzles daily, you might reach out to a family member who has a similar goal.

You might consider working in a group with others pursuing the same or similar goals. Working together can increase accountability and offer opportunities for support, stress relief, encouragement, and quality time with like-minded people. For example, a group who works out together at the gym can push each other to meet their workout goals and may be able to share available resources, like guidance from a professional trainer who can help you determine when to push yourself and when to take a break. You might also find that your goal is challenging to complete alone, like learning a new language, which often requires practicing with others who speak the language you are trying to learn.