Sydney Kate Watson, asst. arts & living editor
As the last days of January grow near, it may be time to dwell on the state of your Jan. 1 resolutions, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has remolded your views of resolutions.
Before considering the state of New Year’s resolutions in 2021, it is necessary to consider how New Year’s resolutions impact individual’s development. According to Associate Professor of Kinesiology Megan Janke, resolutions are an indication that individuals are looking at their future selves and evaluating where they want to be; resolutions indicate a desired self.
“[Resolutions] are an indication of our goals and things that we want for ourselves,” Janke said.
Sadly though, most individuals are too ambitious when deciding on a New Year’s resolution and set the bar too high. When goals seem too good to be true, it is hard to find the willpower to follow through on your resolutions. People struggle to delay gratification for those long-term goals, according to Janke.
“Wanting something and thinking about it is not enough for us to actually make changes,” Janke said. “It’s easy to fall back into our normal routine because it’s easier.”
To make those changes and stick with them to fulfill traditional New Year’s resolutions, individuals should put in the research. For example, individuals who want to exercise more should go ahead and know where you want to work out and what time you can go instead of just wanting to work out more. Janke encouraged individuals to bring their goals to a realistic realm and begin small.
“Sometimes we start too big, and when our goal is too big it seems more unachievable,” Janke said. “For a lot of behavior change research, one of the things is to make small realistic goals.”
After achieving smalls goals, individuals can build on that momentum to propel themselves forward step by step.
“Once you have success, it then that builds your confidence that you can do more,” Janke said. “Those individuals end up really being able to stick with it.”
Besides dividing a larger goal into smaller baby steps, another way to keep your morale strong is to keep yourself accountable. Accountability could be working toward a goal with a friend and checking in with each other or keeping a log about the steps you are taking toward your goal each day.
“By making yourself accountable in some way you’re more likely to keep with that goal,” Janke said.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has done to everything, resolutions have been altered, and many Berry students are displaying those changes in their 2021 New Year’s resolutions. Freshman Abby Shrader crafted her New Year’s resolutions so they would remain attainable whether the COVID-19 virus surged or not. She created a vision board using different pictures of what 2022 holds for her, and she made that image her laptop background.
“I felt like I’d be more accomplished at the end of the year because it’s a lot more up for interpretation,” Shrader said. “It’s not as black and white.”
Senior Lily Watson wanted to focus on learning to cook more, especially crockpot recipes. Senior Zander Carver’s New Year’s resolution is to starting saying “no” more often and prioritizing himself.
“I have always, for so much of my life, put everyone else in front of myself,” Carver said. “I’m trying to put myself first more than I used to and allow myself to be selfish sometimes.”
Junior Ashlyn Hanover’s resolution was to do something to take care of herself each day. For Hanover, the COVID-19 pandemic is depressing, and instead of setting unattainable goals, she knew she could focus on herself a little every day.
“I want to focus on taking care of myself this year,” Hanover said.
Junior Anna Rich also crafted her resolutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on her mental health.
“My mental health went significantly downhill when the pandemic started, and I think it’s because the added stress on that caused symptoms to come to the surface,” Rich said.
Rich intended for her goals to be reasonable and to ensure that she manages her mental health better through the rest of her junior year.
“My New Year’s resolution is eating twice a day and school nights going to bed by midnight,” Rich said.
Junior Russell Hendley also felt that the COVID-19 pandemic’s difficulty has taken a toll on mental health. So, with the stress that comes with just being a Berry College student, Hendley’s only goal is to maintain his mental health.
“I feel like just being at Berry College there’s already so much to think about that adding a New Year’s resolution list is just another thing to think about,” Hendley said. “[My resolution is] Maintaining mental health better by not trying to think about everything too much so hard.”
Freshman Grace Price and Senior Isabella Triggs both said that they do not like resolutions. For Price, resolutions never seemed beneficial.
“I’ve just never thought they were super helpful,” Price said. “If I want to do something, I’m going to do it.”
According to Triggs, it is much more stressful to keep up with a resolution than it is to do something in the moment you think about it.
“It’s a lot more stress to try and keep up with a New Year’s resolution than it is to say, ‘I want to try and do this,’” Triggs said.
If you have New Year’s resolutions or you are not a resolution maker, the Campus Carrier wishes you a happy and healthy New Year. Remember, that you can always take small steps each day to help yourself be where you want to be.