Last Updated:
January 2nd, 2025
The practice of making a New Year’s resolution is at least 4000 years old. The Babylonians are reported to be the first culture to make New Year’s resolutions, where they would promise the Gods to pay their debts and return things that they had borrowed. Early New Year’s resolutions had religious roots – but now it’s more common for resolutions to focus on self-improvement and individual fulfilment.
YouGov survey data reported that 16% of Brits intended to make New Year’s resolutions for 2024. Young people were more likely to make a resolution, with nearly a third of 18-24-year-olds pledging to make a change. As age increases, the likelihood of making a resolution drops – just 6% of people over 65 said they would be making a New Year’s resolution.
The feeling of a fresh start and a blank slate that comes with the New Year is the driving force behind many people’s promise to make a change – but are you more likely to successfully make meaningful change at New Year, and how can you maximise the odds of making successful resolutions for your mental health?
Do New Year’s resolutions work?
Gyms are packed in January, with most gyms reporting that the first month of the year is their busiest time for sign-ups. 12% of new gym memberships occur in January, and gym-going regulars often grumble about the January rush. Gyms tend to quieten down during February and March, leading many to believe that New Year’s resolutions don’t work. But is this true?
According to YouGov, it isn’t. 31% of people surveyed who made a 2023 resolution stuck to all of their goals, while 50% stuck to some of them. Just 6% said that they had abandoned their New Year’s goals entirely. New Year’s resolutions really do work.
What helps us stick to New Year’s resolutions?
A Swedish study looked at 1066 people who had made a resolution and investigated success rates, different approaches, and the role of external support. Similarly to the YouGov data, the researchers found that more people were successful in sustaining resolutions than not, with 55% of participants considering themselves successful one year on.
The study reported that the type of resolution affected the success rate. Resolutions that were approach-oriented (striving towards positive outcomes) were more successful than avoidance-oriented goals (avoiding negative outcomes). However, both types of goals had a good chance of being successful – 47.1% for avoidance-oriented goals and 58.9% for approach-oriented goals. Participants were also more likely to succeed if they had some form of external support to help them achieve their goals.
This study suggests that how you frame your New Year’s Resolution has a profound effect – you’re more likely to succeed with a positive goal (a pledge to be healthier) than a negative goal (a pledge to stop eating junk food). It also reveals the power of enlisting loved ones to support you on your journey – teaming up with an exercise buddy, having someone to keep you accountable or just having someone to cheer you on.
Mental health goals for the New Year – making a successful resolution
YouGov reports that the most common New Year’s resolutions focus on exercise, diet, weight loss and saving money. Others focus on dedicating more time to what matters – career goals, spending more time with families, cutting down on screen time, hobbies and charity work. Cutting down on drinking or quitting smoking is low down on the list at just 12% and 6%, respectively.
All of these goals can have huge benefits to your mental health – but your goals need to reflect what’s important to you.
Setting goals
Being strategic about your goals gives you the biggest chance of success. It’s tempting to want to overextend yourself and pledge to eat healthily, practice mindfulness, and cut down on unhealthy habits all at once – but focusing on a single goal will allow you more energy to achieve it. Once you’ve succeeded, you can always revisit your goal or add a new one next New Year.
Planning matters, too. In business, the acronym SMART is used for setting goals. This stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. This can also be applied to setting yourself up for success for your New Year’s Resolution. Instead of simply pledging to exercise more, for example, ask yourself:
- How much exercise do I want to commit to each day or week?
- How will I keep track of my new exercise routine to keep myself accountable?
- Is this goal achievable? Do I risk burning myself out after a few weeks or months?
- Is this approach the best way for me to achieve my goal?
- How will I know if I’ve succeeded in one year?
This process eliminates guesswork, adds clarity and allows you to set milestones to monitor your progress.
Choosing the goal that’s right for you
Your goals are personal, and the right New Year’s resolution will have the maximum benefit to you while being achievable. If improving your mental health is the goal, there are some practices you can pledge to incorporate into your routine that have demonstrated benefits for improving your mental health.
Connection-oriented goals
Addiction and poor mental health thrive on loneliness and disconnection. By promising to focus more on deepening your connection with others, you can enrich your quality of life. This can look like:
- Pledging to reduce your screen time
- Dedicating more time to spend with family and friends
- Taking up a social hobby to connect with new people
- Volunteering or raising money for charity.
Looking after your health
A healthy body is a solid foundation for good mental health. Rather than setting punitive goals, like losing x amount of weight by a certain date, try to aim for approach-oriented goals that cultivate healthy practices. This can look like:
- Dedicating time each week to meal prep and making fresh, healthy home-cooked food
- Trying a new fruit or vegetable every week, and learning how to cook with it
- Engaging with enjoyable exercise a few times a week, such as walking in nature, joining a sports team, or taking up a new fitness hobby.
Learning a new skill
The sense of mastery achieved from learning something new boosts self-esteem and gives you a sense of purpose while offering you an opportunity to bond with others. You can consider learning a new instrument or craft, taking on more responsibility at work, working on a DIY project or buying a cookbook and making a new recipe once a week. New skills open up new possibilities – you might find a passion or aptitude that you were previously unaware of.
Adopting a meditation or mindfulness practice
Mindfulness is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal for boosting our mental health. It has proven positive effects on depression, anxiety, sleep quality and stress- and it’s free.
Setting aside a small amount of time every day, or a few times a week, to practise being mindful is an achievable way of increasing your mental health – with a low barrier to entry. You can attend a local meditation, yoga or mindfulness class, or use self-directed guided meditation online. This will help you feel more positive, grounded and present.
Ready for a new start?
If your New Year’s goals include changing your relationship with drugs or alcohol, we can help you start your New Year on the right foot.
Reach out today to find out how we can help.