New year’s resolutions: how to make them less daunting and more attainable

By Keturah Tobias

Staff Writer

Nearly half of America’s young adults start the New Year with resolutions, but only 9% stay committed.

If a student is already finding themselves in that 9%, making resolutions part of daily life can help. Brittney Jerkins, a counselor at the Trevecca Counseling Center, encourages students to break down resolutions and schedule them into their day so it can be easier to manage.

“Make your resolutions more attainable. Be more intentional,” said Jerkins.

She said it may be more helpful if students do monthly check-ins to see if they have improved on their resolutions.

Changing the mindset on the personal goal can help students achieve it more successfully. For example, instead of the goal being “I want to be more active,” change it to “I want to have a goal of 7,000 daily steps,” This increases the likelihood of the resolution sticking around and being more achievable.

For many students, new year’s resolutions can cause stress and anxiety. Managing extracurricular activities, academics, and social life can burden students nationwide.

Mariah Glasper, a sophomore majoring 3 in intercultural studies and minoring in marketing, wants to be more active, have alone time with the Lord, and build her relationships with people.

Breonne Trotman, a sophomore majoring in film, wants to improve mental health, do more advanced workouts in the gym, and boost her online presence for her dance platform.

Time management is one of the biggest hurdles that college students face today.

“I take it day by day. My schedule is usually in my head, and I can move my activities around just knowing how much time I need for each thing,” said Trotman.

Participating in resolutions can also create challenges for students to keep them. For some, it may be academic, like Trotman, who has six classes, and they are a heavy load. For others, it may be management, like Glasper, who experiences FOMO (fear of missing out) when her friends do a fun activity during the school week.

“I try to get my homework done before I do anything. When it’s a really busy day, I do it on my Notes app and just make a checklist,” said Glasper.

Being flexible and editing resolutions to fit in the reality of life can help students still make improvements with less stress, said Jerkins.

“Resolutions don’t have to be one-and-done. They still can kind of shift throughout the year,” said Jerkins.