It’s the morning of the first of January. Or maybe it’s the early afternoon? You’re face down in your bed. Well, technically speaking, your head is the only part of you that’s on the bed. The rest of your half-dressed body is slumped against the side of the bed/floor. You pull yourself upright to take in your surroundings in more detail, then the hangover rears it’s unwelcome, ugly head, like someone playing Satanic Speed-Metal in the Sistine Chapel.
At what point did it go wrong? Was it the tequila shots? The Celine Dion Karaoke? The bottle of Plum Schnapps, when you’d drank all the other booze? Either way. This is it. Why do you repeatedly do it to yourself? No more. Did I text my ex at the bells? Definitely no more. New Year, new me. Time for a health kick. Time for a new year’s resolution.
The scene painted above may sound familiar to you. Especially if you’re one the millions of Britons uses the new year as an excuse to put the debauchery of the preceding festive season behind them and try and improve themselves. Admittedly, it’s a big ask. Research suggests that 25% of us give up our resolutions within the first week. Bearing this in mind, here’s a handy guide designed to help you keep up the most common New Year’s resolutions;
Quitting a habit
Whether it’s cigarettes or booze, thousands of people start of determinedly on January 1st only to find that packing in an addiction is not as easy as they first thought. Everyone knows that both of these habits are bad for our health, but their addictive qualities keep on dragging us back for more. If it’s alcohol, try taking a few more turns at being the designated driver. A lot of people substitute their cigarettes for carrot sticks to keep their hands busy. If you feel like you need more help, there’s plenty of help available online.
Get fit
Making a promise to get more exercise is another frequently broken resolution every year. Gym memberships soar in January only to tail off once the shortest month of the year rolls around. If rigorous exercise isn’t for you, other options are available if you’re open to the idea of a health plan.
New Year, new career
How many of us use the Christmas break to ponder the idea of a completely new career path? Being stuck in a job that you hate is a sure-fire recipe for stress and bad health, yet very few of us actually get past the first couple of interviews that could change our lives for the better. Once we’re back at work in January, we’re back in a rut – and some things are hard to change, regardless of how much we dislike them.
Save more and be debt free
It’s funny that this should crop up straight after we go consumer crazy at Christmas! Maybe if we had been a little more mindful in December we wouldn’t have to face the fact that our finances are in the pan and in dire need of attention. As a nation, we are continually spending further beyond our means at Christmas. This year, shoppers have built up an eye-watering £1.25bn worth of debt whilst shopping for Christmas. However, for many of us, saving money and clearing debt prove to be difficult things to maintain over the long term. It only takes something like a broken washing machine to throw our best-laid plans awry and we give up altogether. Having a bit of emergency money saved is incredibly sensible.
Getting things done
Procrastination is nothing new, but these days we are so bombarded with distractions that getting things done is fast becoming one of the most popular resolutions people make at the turn of the year. Failing to do what we need to causes stress, anxiety and guilt, but it’s becoming increasingly harder to stay focused in the digital age. Thankfully there are many time management templates available online for free.
Study
Resolving to study is an extremely popular commitment that gets broken by many more people than those who see their resolution through to completion. Learning a new language tops the pile, especially amongst those early birds who already have their summer holidays booked. However, way too many of us revert back to speaking English loudly and slowly when the time to travel comes around. Even better, is that bilingual people are generally more employable if you were also looking at the aforementioned new job resolution.
So there you have it, six of the most popular resolutions, and how to stick to them. What will you try this year?
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