Welcome to 2020!! By now we are a good week into the New Year... How many people have already given up on their New Year's resolutions and fallen off that health wagon every one of us had pledged to at least once?

It is normal to evaluate your entire life leading up to New Year's Eve and see what we did in 2019 and how we can be better. Making resolutions that are both difficult or unrealistic is where I seem to fall short. For me, every year I say I'm going to lose 20 pounds by spring break. That sounds great, right? I mean, who doesn't want to be 20 pounds lighter come March. The reality is, that may not be something I can achieve. Instead of formulating our resolutions to make us feel like we weren't good enough in 2019, let's change that mindset and switch the way we phrase things to make these real goals we can achieve. I have found that setting goals for an entire year are simply not going to work.

Your year takes unexpected turns, and life changes!

A trick I have found when setting goals is to take it month by month. For example, on the fitness topic, if you know your January will be crazy busy with traveling and work/school, maybe your goal would be to start slow and workout twice a week totaling to 8 times a month. When you have more time, however, maybe you can commit to three times a week coming out to 12 times a month. That building of days a week will not only make it easier to get to the gym, but it will help you lose weight in a healthy way. That is just one example of a goal we can set that's attainable.

Maybe you want to focus on yourself more in 2020. This self-care time can look different for everyone. For some, this is working out. For me, self-care is lighting a candle and taking a bubble bath. Self-care can sometimes seem silly or unimportant when we factor in school, work, social life and other things we decide to pile onto our plate in the new year. The reality is, self-care is probably one of the most important things you can do to improve your overall mental health. For me, I like to carve at least an hour and a half out AT LEAST 3 days a week where at night I can run a bath and take care of me. Maybe for you that doesn't fit into your schedule. Whatever your self-care looks like, making the goal of incorporating it into your routine will make a huge difference.

Those are just two examples of taking unattainable resolutions and making them goals we can achieve. The principle can be applied to any resolution you may have set for yourself. Take what you want to achieve, factor in your schedule and take things month-to-month. Life is busy, but don't forget what you owe yourself.