A Wellness Approach to New Year’s Resolutions by Brittany Guerin

Do you set a New Year’s Resolution every year but cannot seem to commit to it? You are not alone. Only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. Instead of being hard on yourself, why not try a different approach?

New Year’s Resolutions aren’t my favorite because of the following reasons:

• They might communicate a sense of failure if we didn’t meet our resolutions from last year
• They can be influenced my quick-fix gimmicks in the media
• Goals should be set and revisited throughout the year
• They tend to be more outcome-oriented (lose X amount of weight) and can lead to unrealistic expectations as opposed to process goals (be active 3x a week) that lead to living fuller, healthier and more positive lives

Intentions are the New Resolutions

Instead of setting a New Year’s Resolution that you may or may not fulfill, try setting an overarching intention. Instead of a strict, chore-like goal, this intention can be broad and open-ended. This is beneficial to our wellness because we will have the ability to evolve and adapt our goals and values throughout the year. Lastly, our intention is meant to guide behavior and focus our efforts.

Below are examples of intentions to give you inspiration to come up with your own. Remember, there are no wrong answers, so have fun with it!

This year I will:

• Listen to and nourish my body
• Create more space for the important people in my life
• Try new things
• Get outside my comfort zone
• Dedicate time to my health
• Challenge myself professionally
• Expand my leisure activities
• Work on being mindful

Once you have your intention for the New Year, write it down and place it somewhere that you will see everyday. Hopefully it will bring you daily inspiration to make decisions that are aligned with your intention.