The Truth About New Year’s Resolutions - And How To Create Reasonable Goals While Protecting Your Mental Health
As we’ve wrapped up the end of another year, we’re starting to pave the way for the blank page of 2026. If you’re one of the 30% of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions, now is traditionally the time those start to come to the surface. Making them is easy – it’s the follow-through that can be tricky. If you’ve found that sticking to your New Year’s resolutions is difficult, you’re not alone. In fact, nearly 90% of people who make resolutions have abandoned them before the halfway point of the new year. A lack of vision or motivation can quickly deplete the good intentions that created the resolution in the first place. Unmet goals can make people feel discouraged or guilty, which is no way to waltz into a new year. The team at Peak Psychological Services would like to provide some tips on how to create realistic, attainable goals in the new year that will increase the odds of you sticking to them!
Creating Realistic New Year’s Resolutions
There are some common themes amongst New Year’s resolutions, with the most common goals revolving around:
- Health & Fitness
- Finances
- Quitting A Bad Habit
- Improving Mental Health
When someone makes a resolution, they are choosing something they feel will better their lives, something they want to do – so why do so many people fail? There are two simple answers:
- A lack of planning
- An unrealistic goal
Without an actionable plan to back up your goal, you’ll remain stuck. As more time goes on without feeling like you’re working toward your goal, it becomes easier and easier to let it go – maybe next year, right? But it doesn’t have to be that way! In therapy, we often break down a larger issue into smaller, more digestible steps. This same process can be used when it comes to any goal or resolution. By creating realistic and attainable goals with a plan in mind, you can work toward them without giving up. Keep these things in mind when creating your 2026 New Year’s Resolutions:
Be Specific
New Year’s Resolutions tend to be sweeping, generic statements, such as “I will be healthier in 2026.” That’s a great goal, but how do you plan to obtain it? Instead of saying that, consider creating a goal that specifically tells you what you plan to do. For example, “I will add a salad to my dinner 3 times per week, and start going on evening walks.” These items are less overwhelming, give you a solid place to start, and will be easier to keep track of. As you successfully implement a small step into your routine, you can build off of that foundation.
Progress Planning
As you determine your goals, consider how you will keep track of your progress. Using the example from above, it would be difficult to determine if you have reached your goal if you keep the generic “be healthier” goal, because what exactly does that mean to you? If you’ve broken it down into specific steps, you can measure your progress more effectively – are you adding vegetables to your grocery list each week? Have you noticed your stamina increasing the more you take walks?
Be Realistic
Keep your goals achievable and realistic for you. If you’re trying to be healthier by adding evening walks to your routine, but don’t live in an area conducive to that, it may be best to change tactics. While fresh air and exercise sound fantastic, is it realistic for you that you will drive yourself to a secondary location each night to walk? If not, choose something you can and will do – maybe a pre-bed yoga video online instead. By thinking through your specific resources and capabilities, you can determine a plan that will be easier to stick with.
Set Benchmarks
Setting a goal for the new year makes it seem as though you have the entire year to get it done. When you find yourself backsliding, it’s common to think you can start again later because there’s plenty of time left in the year – until there’s not. Determine a timeframe to check in on yourself, whether that’s one month, three months, six months – anything you want. At that time, you can reflect on your progress, adjust what doesn’t work, and even implement new elements if you want.
Be Flexible
The best of intentions do not always lead to the best outcomes. These goals are your goals, which means you are in charge of where they go or don’t go. At any time, if it begins to cause more stress than benefit, you can simply pause and pivot. Give something new a try until you find what sticks for you. There’s no need to give up, just redirect.
Making New Year’s Resolutions Work For You
When done correctly, New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to improve your overall well-being, including your mental health. Working toward something you want and seeing changes can be a huge motivator while boosting self-esteem, lowering stress and proactively working toward the life you want. To keep your New Year’s resolutions on track, follow the steps above and set small, specific goals, check in with yourself, adjust as needed and implement a support system. The things you should avoid include:
- All Or Nothing Thinking: A year-long goal does not have to be completed immediately or perfectly. By thinking of it that way, you’re more prone to give up after one backslide. Instead, remind yourself this is a work in progress and keep moving forward.
- No Accountability: It’s more difficult to stick with something when there is no system in place to track or support it. By tracking your progress, you can hold yourself accountable by visually seeing how far you’ve come – and where you may need to work harder. It can also be helpful to have a support system in place, like a friend, family member, or trusted therapist who can help you work through roadblocks.
- Extreme Goals: The more extreme the goal, the more likely it is to fail. If your overall goal is to be healthier, but ice cream is your favorite treat to indulge on, it wouldn’t be very realistic to set your resolution as “stop eating ice cream.” A more attainable version would be, “only eat ice cream 3 times per week instead of every night.”
- External Pressure: New Year’s resolutions should be personal to you, not created out of a desire to please anyone else. The more meaning something has to you specifically, the easier it is to stay motivated.
Support For The New Year in Colorado
The promise of a new year is always exciting and invigorating. It’s the perfect time to reflect on the past year and think about what you want for your future. Keep your goals realistic, personal and specific and we have no doubt you can make them happen! Be flexible and true to yourself – and if it doesn’t work how you wanted, give yourself some grace.
If you’re looking for support in 2026 working toward your goals, Peak Psychological Services is here for you. One of our experienced therapists can help you work through mental blocks you might be facing, ease your anxiety about change and be a supportive sounding board when you need it. Contact us anytime to schedule a free 15-minute consultation – and Happy New Year!
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