As the end of the year draws near, some students are reminded of the New Year’s resolutions they created at the start of 2021 as they prepare for 2022.
Alycen Berridge, junior in elementary education, had the New Year’s resolution of re-learning how to do the splits. She said she motivated herself to complete the goal because of the positive health impacts of stretching every day.
“I had read an article that stretching every night helped you sleep better,” Berridge said. “I eventually noticed that I started sleeping better, and that impacted my life in a positive way.”
Madison Fleming, junior in interior design, completed her goal of swimming once a week. She said the hardest part about completing her goal was time management.
“The time commitment was really hard for me with how busy school is and how busy life is,” Fleming said. “I think what motivated me to keep going was how good I felt after. It just made me feel a lot less of the stress and a lot less of the worry.”
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According to DailyHistory.org, New Year’s resolutions date back to 200 B.C. in southern Mesopotamia, where people made resolutions for the new year as part of their Akitu festival. The notion has gained popularity ever since.
While New Year’s resolutions have been around for a while, they can still be hard for many to complete. Grace Needham, junior in marketing, said building her New Year’s resolution of journaling every day into her schedule helped her complete her goal.
“My advice is to build it into your everyday schedule. It will not happen if you do not schedule it in,” Needham said. “You should practice something for 21 days, and then it becomes [a] habit. I found that to be true with journaling.”
Berridge said it is easier to complete a goal with someone else than just yourself.
“Pick one that you are passionate about and want to do, otherwise you are not going to stick to it,” Berridge said. “Get a friend to do it with you because you then have accountability to help you get through it.”
Fleming said she succeeded with her resolution because it helped her mental health.
“Keep pushing, and if your resolution makes you happier and less stressed out, keep doing it,” Fleming said.
