It’s that time of year again... the mince pies have been eaten, and Mariah Carey has returned to wherever it is she spends the months of January to November. Yep, the festive season is almost over, and so wishes of ‘Merry Christmas’ are about to be replaced by social posts declaring, ‘New year, new me’.
From going vegan to getting out in nature more, millions of people worldwide make a vow to ‘do better’ in the year ahead. But, while that ‘new year, new me’ mentality is strong at the start of January, many of us find ourselves lacking the same determination as the days, weeks, and months roll by.
That said, the arrival of another 365 days shouldn’t come with so much pressure, and it’s important to remember that we don’t have to make any changes or become a ‘new me’. If, however, you are feeling inspired to make a few adjustments to your life when 1 January rolls around, here are 22 people who made life-changing New Year’s resolutions — plus, they reveal how they stuck to them.
22 people on the most life-changing New Year’s resolutions they made
“I stopped having ‘catch-ups’ with my closest friends and instead we actually did things together so we’d make new memories. I realised I would meet up with friends and then we’d each churn out a list of what is happening in our lives, but we weren’t living life together. It made me realise which friends are actually lifers, and which friendships I’ve probably outgrown — and that’s okay.” — Akesha, 24
“I decided to give up eating red meat one New Year’s. I was feeling quite stressed and depressed about the state of the environment, etc., and wanted to feel like I was having more of an impact than just recycling my paper and plastics every week. The first year, I did eat red meat (specifically beef) about six times throughout the year, but I can honestly say I haven’t eaten red meat in nine years now. It’s had a knock-on effect as my boyfriend has drastically reduced the amount of red meat he eats, too, as we often eat together.” — Alex, 29
“Three years ago, I made it my New Year’s resolution to not move out of men’s way on the pavement — unless, of course, they’re elderly or have priority. ‘Taking up space’ felt a bit awkward at first because I realised how few men actually move out of the way for women compared to other women. But that kind of fuelled me to keep going and stand my ground as a feminist. There have been a few times I’ve faced a pavement stalemate, but I just blankly maintain eye contact until the path is clear again — often to the dismay of the man who has had to ‘back down’. This might sound petty to some, but I find it really empowering, and I have no intention of giving up now.” — Jade, 32
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“After the pandemic, I noticed how much I loved scrolling through my camera roll and reminiscing. And because I don’t write a diary, it sort of felt like the only way I had documented my life/memories. With that in mind, for a recent New Year’s resolution, I vowed to take more photos at non-events: random nights at the pub, walks, group pics, etc., and I find that resolution still sets a little reminder in my head now to take lots of pics (that aren’t with the intention of sharing on socials).” — Sophie, 34
“Last year, someone I love very much was facing a terrifying diagnosis, and I felt entirely out of control and so, so scared for the future. I needed to do something to stop my mind from spiralling, so I made this weird resolution to speak to a stranger every day. It resulted in so many nice moments that helped pull me out of catastrophising; it was like focusing on that one thing reminded me that we actually only have control over our day-to-day, and that even in the most horrendous times, there are amazing people and moments to be found. It helped get me through that specific tough time, but I find now, carrying it on, it’s a really good way to pull yourself out of never-ending bad news scrolling, and see that, for the majority, there are still so many nice people in the world. It’s never anything big, just asking the coffee man how his day was or chatting to someone in the work kitchen who I haven’t spoken to before. It’s a small thing that’s made a big difference to my life.” — Catriona, 21
“I made a resolution to learn French, got a tutor and have stuck with it for four years now! It’s not life-changing per se, but it’s a really nice achievement to be on the way to becoming bilingual in your 30s.” — Jenni, 33
“I don’t make resolutions, but I write a list of the ‘X’ goals I want to achieve that year based on the end number of the year, so 25 for 2025, 26 for 2026. It helps me achieve more as it’s spread across the year rather than doing everything on 1 January.” — Lydia, 28
“I realised one of my main stress triggers was the commute into work. Sadly, I can’t afford the life I want living in central London, and my job requires four days in the office. So I saved up and invested in some legit noise-cancelling headphones, downloaded a few 528HZ and vagus nerve soothing playlists, and started using an essential oil when I left the house. That, along with trying to treat this time as a screen-free reading opportunity, has made what I felt was anxiety-spiking ‘dead’ time a little less bleak.” — Zaffron*, 29
“I like to cook, but [often] get stuck in a rut. So I make sure I cook one new meal a week.” — via Reddit
“In 2022, I promised to start exercising, and I did — and a habit was born. I exercise almost every day. Daily exercise has benefited my physical and mental health in so many ways.” — via Reddit
“Years ago, I promised to read 24 books in a year — two a month. I was a reader when I was younger, but I had gotten out of the habit due to kids, work, and life. I literally ‘forced’ myself to read two books a month. Told myself I have to read. It was tough at first, because I had conditioned myself to watch TV and had lost the ability to concentrate on written words. Gradually, I regained my love of reading, and I’m glad I did.” — via Reddit
“I started being a vegetarian as a New Year’s resolution. I didn’t think I could ever do it, so I started it as a gimmick for a couple of months, but I actually stuck with it. Now, nearly two decades later, I’m still going, and I do feel good about the animal impact, as that’s why I started.” — via Reddit
“I always try and only make positive resolutions at New Year’s — the kind that just brighten small days. A couple of years ago, I found a perfume I loved and decided it was going to be the only perfume I wore all year. Last year, I vowed to drink nicer wine, and another year was to actually use all of my fancy candles. This year’s goal was to moisturise every time I got out of the shower (managed it a decent chunk of the year too). I haven’t decided next year’s yet, but it will only be something that brings me a little bit of joy often and makes me feel more optimistic about the year to come.” — via Reddit
“When I was in my early 20s, I decided to never do shots again — it was getting to the point where every night out, I had a few Jaegerbombs. By the time shots seem like a good idea, you’re already too pissed, and shots either make good times turn bad or just take effect once you’re asleep and then give you a worse hangover. I won’t lie and say I never did shots again, but it became so rare that I effectively feel like I stuck to the spirit of the resolution. Now I’m in my mid-30s, and the idea of doing shots turns my stomach anyway!” — via Reddit
“Don’t put it down — put it away. It sounds really simple, but it was life-changing for me. I spend a lot less time searching for lost items, and these days the interior of my home rarely resembles the aftermath of a tornado.” — via Reddit
“A couple of years ago, I committed to spending ‘more’ time outside (I didn’t specify a quantity). I tracked my hours and finished at 400 hours for the year. It was the first time I ever committed and followed through, and I was/am still proud of it. Moreover, it was the reason I started hiking, and now I lead a group of people three days a week on sunrise hikes. That led to a greater interest in physical fitness, and I started going to the gym more. So that one resolution had a domino effect of positivity on my life.” — via Reddit
“For me, it was my ‘Year of Rest’. I committed to intentionally centring all forms of rest. I allotted 9-11 hours of sleep every night. I would schedule 2-3 hours of rest during weekdays and entire weekends to rest. It was glorious.” — via Reddit
“I resolved in my early teens to never again make a New Year’s resolution. It’s the only one I ever kept. If you’re going to do something, why put it off until the new year? Might as well start now if you mean it.” — via Reddit
“I try to use the word ‘hate’ less. If I catch myself saying, ‘I hate this’ and ‘I hate that’, then I will correct myself and say that I dislike it instead. Don’t have hate in your heart; it’ll do loads for your mental health.” — via Reddit
“No coffee during the work week. It forced me to get enough sleep and improve my diet instead of relying on caffeine.” — via Reddit
“Last year, my resolution was to eat more veggies. Now I routinely have salads and stir-frys for dinner and have greatly increased the amount of veggies eaten. I think that’s the secret to success: specify the behaviour you want to increase and be happy with any amount that’s over the previous situation. So if I do it once, that’s a minor success. Keep doing it, and that’s an even bigger success.” — via Reddit
“If something takes less than two minutes to do, just do it instead of putting it off (e.g. washing a plate after I’m done eating rather than putting it in the sink for later).” — via Reddit
*Name has been changed
