It鈥檚 the holiday season, the end of the semester, and 2022 is quickly approaching. This is the best time to reflect on the past year and pursue some positive changes as a student going into the New Year and new semester. New Year鈥檚 resolutions and goal setting can be daunting and feel like a waste of time due to failed past attempts. However, this year, I鈥檝e got you covered with some tips for setting attainable resolutions!
The first step to creatinga strong New Year鈥檚 resolution is identifying what aspects of your life you want to change; such as exercise and eating habits, saving money, grades, improving relationships or simply learning a new skill set. After you鈥檝e identified this, you can start forming specific goals. Start small! Rather than making vast life changes such as starting a workout regime that鈥檚 seven days a week, start with two to three days per week. It鈥檚 also a good idea to focus on one behavior change at a time, with specific steps you can take to reach this transformation. Next, talk about your New Year鈥檚 resolutions with family or friends, share your struggles and successes and let the people you love help keep you accountable and offer you support. Lastly, when attempting to reach your resolutions, give yourself grace and do not beat yourself up. It鈥檚 difficult to change behaviors, especially as a full time college student. No one is perfect, missteps happen, just get back on track and keep going (APA, 2019). As Campus Rec employees and full time students, we are all living very hectic lives. So, here are a few great examples of feasible New Year鈥檚 resolutions set by lifeguards of the Aquatics department. Lucy Cochran, a senior speech pathology major, set a New Years resolution to spend less time on her phone before bed. She plans to set a time for herself every night that she must put her phone away by. Camryn Direso, a junior health sciences major, aims to start a more consistent workout routine and drink more water daily. Molly Kenelly, a sophmore genomic medicine major, set a New Years resolution to give herself more of a break from work and school, and spend more time with her friends. Jaclyn Staub, a sophomore nursingmajor, set a goal to work on her procrastination. She plans to improve her time management skills and take assignments piece by piece to help her reach her resolution. Lastly, Chris Bloom, a senior business major, set his New Year鈥檚 resolution to start waking up earlier in order to have more productive days and get to work on time regularly. He will do this by going to bed earlier, changing his sleep schedule gradually, and avoiding Maxi鈥檚 during the week.
American Psychology Association [APA]. (2019). Making your New Year鈥檚 Resolution Stick.