Everyone understands that moment.
Sometimes it comes around 12:30 a.m. on January 1st. Other times, it’s as late as January 2nd. No matter when it hits, those feelings of shame and dread are definitely not fun, just painfully familiar. Your stomach begins to feel all funny and granted, it could be that fifth brownie you just ate, but c’mon, let's be realistic here. You know it’s more than that.
You just broke your New Year’s Resolution and you feel hella bad.
There are three possible responses:
Denial
“No.. I didn’t make a New Year’s Resolution this year!”
Acknowledgement
“I knew I was gonna break it when I made it, so it’s okay!”
Disappointment
“OH CRAP, I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO ___ !”
However, regardless of your initial reaction, don't worry it’s going to be fine!
You may have already traded in your running shoes for your couch but don’t even worry about it, everyone has to get up to pee eventually!
So, what do you do?
How do you get back on track?
1. Reevaluate
Many think restarting the Resolution is the best way to handle messing up but don’t. No seriously, don’t!
The first thing you should do is reevaluate the Resolution. How many credits are you taking? How many hours are you working? How many Netflix shows do you want to finish?
Ask yourself honestly, IS YOUR GOAL DO-ABLE?
If you broke NYE Resolution already, chances are, it’s not.
2. Avoid Swoop Statements
I’m going to stop eating sweets, or I’m going to run a mile everyday, might be a bit much for a beginner so just take it in steps! It’s okay to start little. If Planet Fitness needed to offer pizza to it’s members to get people in the gym, then I think it’s pretty safe to say you don’t need to be an Adonis your first time walking in. If your goal was to get above a 3.5 semester than block out time in your schedule specifically for studying. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are 4.0’s.
3. Don't Be So Hard On Yourself!
Change is hard. Like ridiculously hard. New schedule, new classes, new homework assignments to procrastinate on and adjustment takes time! Give yourself time to get used to the changes and work your resolutions in where you can. So maybe you take the stairs instead of the elevator if your goal was to get in shape, or maybe you answer your sister’s text on the same day she sent it if your goal was to spend more time with your fam jam. Either way, remember, it’s the little things that become the big things, that will eventually become habits!
4. Use Your Friends, Chances Are They Had Similar Resolutions Anyway
We all have that friend. The one who looks perfect, knows exactly what’s going on in the gym, and has never been caught at a fast-food joint past 12am ever! So what?! She loves kale, you love french fries, it may be apples and oranges but at the end of the day you both ate fruit! Or in this scenario, chips, whatever! You may be a gym novice, she may be an athlete, chances are she’s probably willing to explain what in the world you’re supposed to do with the machine that looks better suited to Fifty Shades of Grey’s red room than in public! Better yet, instead of night sipping drinks at the bar, try doing a workout night and struggle through different pilates poses or spinning together! You’ll come out sweaty and everyone knows the friends who sweat together end up in nursing homes together!
5. NYE Resolutions Are Like College Itself- No One Has It Quite Figured Out, We're All Just Sort Of Doing What We Can!
New Year’s Eve, like college, like life in general, can sometimes feel drenched with expectations, whether they be societal or personal! Difficult as it may be, GET OVER IT! You’re doing what you can and you know what, this may be the year that you finally figure out what you want your major to be! Or this may be the year that you were supposed to graduate but you figured out your love for art was worth pursuing at the collegiate level, so you’re ‘bout to be here forever, but don’t sweat it! No matter what, it’s all gonna figure itself out!
So, have some faith,
work hard, and all those generalized, over-achievingNew Year’s Eve Resolutions that you made last year? Well, let’s just say you might be closer than you think!
