Personal Health

Small steps

When it comes to new year’s resolutions, take it one day at a time

By Tanner Harding

For many people, a new year brings a fresh start. A time to set goals, reevaluate priorities and make plans to better themselves. We’ve gathered some tips on the best ways to make and meet goals, without getting down on yourself.

According to the American Heart Association, the most important thing about resolutions is setting realistic expectations and starting with small changes that you can amp up over time. Harvard Medical School encourages people to dream big to build excitement for a goal, but then to break that big dream down into achievable steps. For instance, eating healthier is a common resolution. And while “eating healthier” sounds nice as a general dream goal, breaking it down into mini goals like “eat fruit with breakfast every morning” or “add a vegetable serving to my lunch five times a week” is a better place to start.

Another common goal is to exercise more. According to Harvard Medical School, reward yourself for incremental steps. Don’t wait until you’re lifting 300 pounds at the gym six times a week. Celebrate with a dance party every time you hit the gym, and share your goals with others so they can cheer you on every time you spend your lunch break getting a walk in.

The American Psychological Association suggests the key to success could be in picking just a single goal to focus on. “Don’t get overwhelmed and think that you have to reassess everything in your life,” the American Psychological Association said. “Instead, work toward changing one thing at a time.”

Planning is also an important part of the psychological aspect of achieving goals. Whether that goal is to be kinder to yourself, to volunteer more, to quit smoking or to exercise more — sit down and plan out how you’re going to achieve that on a daily basis. According to psychology website Very Well Mind, experts suggest brainstorming how you want to tackle a major life change, including what steps you will take, why it’s important to you, and how you’re going to keep yourself on track. And one of the most important things when it comes to achieving your resolutions is to make sure you have support. The American Psychological Association says that perfection is unattainable, and having help from the people around you who care strengthens your resilience and ability to manage stress. It could also help to join an online community that shares your goals, so you have others to talk to when you run into bumps in the road.

People often use new year’s resolutions to better themselves. Frankly, you don’t owe that to anyone. But if there are changes you want to make, pick achievable goals that you can measure gradually. Keep moving forward through the slip-ups, give yourself grace and look for support from the people around you.

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