New Year’s resolutions can be super fun, but they can also be a bit stressful. Here are my best tips for choosing and keeping mindful, low-stress resolutions that help you build the life you want!
Table of Contents
- Tip #1 For Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Start Small, Think Big
- Tip #2 for Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Create a Flexible and Realistic Timeline
- Tip #3 for Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Prioritize Self-Care
- Tip #4 for Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Celebrate Milestones
- Tip #5 for Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Reflect and Adjust
- Final Thoughts about Making and Keeping New Year’s Resolutions:
As we navigate our thirties, each new year brings new opportunities for living a mindful life. Whether you are planning your goals for 2024 or following through on your resolutions from previous years, this stress-free guide will help you do so in happy way.
Many of us want goals that promise personal growth, happiness, and well-being, but we also want goals that are concrete and achievable. On top of these competing priorities, in our thirties, the general busyness of life often leaves little room for new goals in general.
In other words, New Year’s resolutions provide opportunity, but they also create stress, a problem this post will solve. The next seven steps will help you not only set, but achieve your resolutions with a minimum amount of stress and disruption.
Remember, small steady changes are almost always more effective and beneficial than massive overhauls (You can learn more about this by reading this excellent article by McGill University.)
Tip #1 For Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Start Small, Think Big
It’s easy to get carried away with ambitious resolutions, but success lies in starting small. Take some time to go for a walk or sit quietly or talk with a friend about what your priorities are for the new year. These should be abstract goals.
For example, you might want to live a healthier lifestyle. From there, narrow down to one actionable step that contributes to this goal. Like, you might decide to buy an alarm clark and charge your phone in another room at night to avoid screen time before bed. If this goal is easily achieved, you can choose another way to add to your healthier lifestyle. Small victories create a positive snowball effect, boosting your confidence and motivation.
Not only that, small victories are easier to adapt to life changes. I had my first child two weeks before my thirtieth birthday. I have always been someone who enjoys movement and exercise, but I panicked during my first pregnancy and post-partum period because of my lack of fitness.
After talking to my sister, who had had a child roughly a year before, I shifted my goals from exercising for ninety minutes each day to going for a walk a couple of times a week. This small change had huge consequences. I felt happier, my body recovered faster, and saw more of the outside world and so did my baby. It gave me an excuse to leave the house, and it was achievable.
The achievable nature of the goal meant it was easy to adapt to my healing body. By the time I was 8-weeks post-partum I added swimming and light weights back into my routine, but kept workouts short and doable.
By slowly adjusting my goals and taking one small step at a time, I was able to successfully finish a triathlon (and enjoy it) when I was 4-months post-partum.
AND I WASN’T STRESSED.
Low-stress, mindful New Year’s resolutions are all about thinking big, but starting small.
Tip #2 for Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Create a Flexible and Realistic Timeline
It’s easy to get carried away with ambitious resolutions, but success lies in being realistic and adaptable. In my twenties, I was definitely guilty of trying to do too much at once. I overloaded my credits in college, law school, and grad school. And I was stressed out of my mind. My mother used to say, “You can have everything, but not all at once.” I’m finally embracing this in my thirties. I no longer work excessive hours. I no longer skimp on sleep or food. I don’t prioritize saying “yes” to others.
Time is a valuable resource, and setting realistic timelines for your resolutions will help you be successful without the stress trying to cram too much into your day, week, month, or even year.
Try to be kind to yourself as you work toward your goals. Change takes time and backsliding is often a healthy part of any learning process. If you falter, forgive yourself and start again. You will never reset to zero, I promise, because every time you start again it is with the advantage of experience. Rushing progress can lead to burnout (this happened with my first attempt at fitness). Give yourself the grace to progress at a pace that suits your lifestyle. Use deadlines to help guide you, but don’t be afraid to adjust them if need be. Deadlines can be great benchmarks, but they don’t have to be strict or stressful.
Tip #3 for Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Prioritize Self-Care
People in their thirties often juggle many responsibilities. Women often face unique challenges in this regard, and it can leave very little time for self-care. In fact, self-care is often the first thing to go when life gets busy. However, taking time for yourself is essential for peace of mind and low-stress living, so it should definitely be an important part of your new year’s resolutions.
Every act of self-care, no matter how small, is an act of love. Making a cup of coffee or taking three deep breaths is enough. We do these things for the people we care about, we should not deprive ourselves of these acts.
Some people like to schedule regular “me” time to recharge and reflect, but it’s ok to be flexible, too. Everyone is balancing different priorities, so our self-care often looks different both in type and amount. For example, before I had a child, self-care often looked like a long hike once a week. Now, though, it’s ten-minute yoga or twenty minutes with a good book and a latte or dancing with my toddler. The amount and type of activity has changed and that’s ok.
One of the best ways to prioritize self-care is to write down, day dream, or discuss the things that bring you peace, not necessarily happiness. Happiness can be a big goal, so instead, aim for activities or moments that help you feel balanced and recharged. Often, if you can engage with nature a little bit, that goes a long way to feeling recharged. This doesn’t mean you have to go outside. My mother loves doing the dishes. To mix this with nature, she has small plants to her countertop to keep her company while she scrubs.
Whether it’s a warm bath, a good book, or a quiet walk, prioritize self-care will help you keep your new year’s resolutions with little to no stress and maintain a healthy balance in your life.
Tip #4 for Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Celebrate Milestones
Don’t be afraid to celebrate and acknowledge your achievements, no matter how small. Celebrations bring us joy, even if they’re little. They also tell us that we are making progress, both of which helps us maintain forward momentum without pressure or stress. In short, celebrations both small and big are a great way to keep your new year’s resolutions without stressing.
Acknowledging your milestones and celebrating them can take a variety of forms. You might try thinking about what you like to do first when you’ve accomplished a goal. My favorite thing to do is call someone I care about and share the news. In fact, using your support network in general (friends, family, etc) can be hugely helpful in sticking to your resolutions. Some people like to celebrate alone by buying themselves something small and nice. Some people just like to say out-loud that they’ve done the hard work and succeeded. If it’s a big accomplishment, don’t hesitate to celebrate a bit bigger.
Sometimes, we wait for other people to acknowledge our progress (this is particularly true when it comes to fitness), but it’s ok, powerful even, to take control of your own approval. Definitely include others in your celebrations, but don’t wait for the universe to approve of your hard work. What you do is valid whether anyone else sees it or not. Work and knowledge are not wasted just because they’re done privately. At the very least, you are gaining experience and taking meaningful steps toward the life you want.
So don’t forget to celebrate as you go!
Tip #5 for Stress-Free New Year’s Resolutions: Reflect and Adjust
Reflecting, adapting, and adjusting are about more than stress-free new year’s resolutions. They are about learning and personal growth. In fact, these tools are what make exceptional people exceptional. Try to answer these questions about your new year’s resolutions: what’s working well? What isn’t working? How are you feeling about your resolutions? Is there any part of the process that you’re avoiding? How could you make pursuing your goals more enjoyable or manageable going forward? What part about this process is the most fun and why?
It might help to actually write answers or doodle or do some kind of output activity while thinking about these questions. Try to be honest with yourself without blame. It is important to take responsibility and acknowledge where you could have done better, but it is just as important to be forgiving and understanding of yourself as well. Honesty doesn’t need to be cruel and we are often harder on ourselves than anyone else. Imagine your talking to someone you have great empathy for, someone who is still learning and growing, like a close friend, relative, or child. You wouldn’t lie to these people, but you would be considerate of the power of your words and thoughts.
This reflective practice is really important because it ensures that your resolutions align with your evolving priorities, aspirations, relationships, and schedule.
Final Thoughts about Making and Keeping New Year’s Resolutions:
As a woman in her thirties, navigating the path to achieving New Year’s resolutions need not be a stressful endeavor. By incorporating these five stress-free tips into your approach, you’ll find that success is not only attainable but also a fulfilling and rewarding journey. Remember, the new year is an opportunity for growth, and with a balanced mindset, self-compassion, and a supportive network, you can confidently embrace the positive changes that lie ahead. Cheers to a fulfilling and stress-free journey towards achieving your resolutions in the coming year.
Any lingering questions? Any positive strategies to add? Let me know in the comments!