New Year’s Resolutions… who needs ‘em?

Article by Demi Edwards

Generations of people have continued the belief in the magical power of a New Year’s Resolution. Typically, by the end of January about 80% of us will ditch our resolutions. Why on earth does this happen, year after year? Probably because we have fallen for the idea that there is some magic happening in January. Maybe Santa’s reindeer left behind some of their magical dust? Where the fault really seems to be is in the high-pressure nature of cliché resolutions we tend choose for the new year. Now that 2019 has started, let’s talk about these age-old resolutions and how rethinking them just a little bit might actually be a benefit to our lives.

1 Lose weight

Most people keep up with their resolution to lose weight just about as well as my dog’s ability to refuse a piece of cheese. Losing weight is not an easy feat, but instead of falling prey to gym membership deals, take it slow. Making small changes throughout your day to increase your activity is going to be better than going whole hog right away. Treat your gym membership as a reward rather than a mandatory sentencing from the judges of New Year’s Resolution-dom. You not only will save yourself money, but you will save yourself a lot of guilt and stress. The less guilt you feel, the more likely you are to stick with your resolution.

2 Eat healthier

A good way to start is by putting down that bag of chips or snack you’re shoving into your face while absentmindedly reading this article. Unnecessary snacking is one of the easiest ways to stop yourself from gaining weight. Being consciousness and intentional in your habits is the way to improve any aspect of your life. For example, to help yourself “eat better,” simply map out your meal plan for the week.

3 Be a better person

If you have to make this a resolution, you might want to do some deeper soul searching.

4 Travel more

Make it your goal to spend more time exploring the places around you. Plan short little weekend trips—you can still expand your mind even if you’re not buying pants in Thailand to prove how “cultured” you are. Shocking. I know.  People put limits on what the definition of travel is. A better resolution would be to stop limiting yourself by thinking that “traveling” means extravagant vacations.

5 Try something new every month

You do this anyways and if you have the exact same day every day, you might be in the movie Groundhog’s Day. Seeing as that is a movie and not real life, you might want to think twice and remember that every day you exist you are experiencing and trying new things.

6 Cut out the negative people

Dang, I would hate to be your friend. It’s almost like every year my friendship will have to be renewed, that I’ll have to prove to you that I have not been as bad of a person in your life as the other people. If we are all being totally honest with each other, this is arbitrary and if you cannot recognize when someone isn’t the best person to be around and you stuck around them all throughout 2018, trying to shake them because of this idea of “setting goals” might not be enough.

7 Keep in touch with family and friends

That’s what the holidays are for—to make us all feel better for ignoring our families for the majority of the year. Then we all call each other, come together, celebrate, then continue the cycle. Do not mess with the cycle!

8 Make this year better than the last

Wow, to have gone an entire year without experiencing anything good. I do not know what to tell you about the upcoming year. What you might want to try is flippingthis one into something less ambiguous. Try for something smaller, like figuring out one thing you can look forward to each day. Finding the little things is what can help you see your life in a positive light. Positivity breeds more positivity!

9 Be less stressed

Is that even possible? I think we all like to brag about how stressed we all are, to prove that we can be the most stressed out. Not sure what the prize is for being the most stressed, but if anyone can tell me what it is I’m genuinely curious. If you choose this popular resolution though, be warned! If you’re not stressed out anymore, how on earth are you going to relate to your friends anymore?

10 Drink less

Well, if you are resolving to both,“be less stressed,” and ”drink less,” I can almost guarantee your 2020 goal will go right back to “Make this year better than the last.” Drinking can be great stress relief. Having a few pints with the mates, maybe a night or two you don’t remember. It might cause some stress initially, but the laugher and joy of making fun of one another for all the stupid crap you did is one that will last throughout time. There are some valid reasons to drink less, and it shouldn’t solely be used for stress relief, but one night a week or a few drinks here and there won’t be the end of the world.

If you are trying to go for the whole,“New year, new me,” kind of thing, you might want to put less pressure on one little year. Simply try to make small changes in your everyday life. Doing so will eventually help you grow into a better version of yourself. New Year’s just like any other holiday, and a holiday is just another day with the letters “holi-“ in front of it. Why we choose to make these goals during the first month of a new year, as if people are not creating goals all year round has always baffled me. You can choose to do any of these things, at any time, but waiting until an arbitrary day to try and fix all the problems in your life is just ridiculous. If you have not quite figured it out yet, life isn’t like a movie and things don’t change overnight. We as humans are meant to share in experiences and grow together, over long periods of time. For New Year’s this year remember changes can be made all throughout 2019. Maybe right now it is not a good time, or maybe it is a good time. However, if you simply look at the new year as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, I have a harrowing message for you. The pictures from New Year’s Eve are still going to exist in 2019 along with all of the things you’ve done in your life up to this point. Live life, have fun, make mistakes, and remember, “New year, new me,” is just another idea company came up with to sell products to consumers.

Demi Edwards is the Queen of America and the coolest person in the world.