Young Adults and Realistic New Year’s Resolutions
12/27/2025
Every January, social media explodes with people declaring they’re going to completely transform their lives. New year, new me, right? But if you’re 18 or in your early twenties dealing with stress, anxiety, or other mental health challenges, those big dramatic resolutions can actually make things worse.
“I’m going to work out every single day!” sounds great until you miss one day, feel like a failure, and give up entirely by January 15th. When you’re already managing anxiety or stress, setting yourself up for failure is the last thing you need.
Let’s talk about how to actually create resolutions that work for your life and your brain – goals that support your mental health instead of adding more pressure.
Timing Matters: You Don’t Have to Start January 1st
Here’s permission you might need: you don’t have to make resolutions on January 1st. If you’re in the middle of finals, dealing with holiday stress, or in a rough mental health period, waiting until you’re in a better headspace is completely okay.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) suggests that people with anxiety should start goal-setting when they feel relatively stable, not during high-stress periods.
February, March, or your birthday might be better timing for you. There’s nothing magical about January 1st except that everyone else is doing it then.
The Mental Health Check-In First
Before you make any resolutions, ask yourself these questions:
- How’s my mental health right now, honestly?
- Am I in a stable place or barely holding it together?
- Do I have the emotional energy to work toward a new goal?
- Will this resolution support my wellbeing or add stress?
If you’re in crisis mode or barely managing daily life, your only resolution should be: “Take care of my mental health.” That’s enough. That’s actually a lot.
Mental Health America has screening tools that can help you honestly assess where you’re at mentally before taking on new commitments.
The One-Word Resolution Approach
Instead of a long list of specific goals, try choosing one word to guide your year. This takes pressure off while giving you direction.
Examples:
- “Balance” if you tend to overcommit
- “Boundaries” if you struggle saying no
- “Kindness” if you’re hard on yourself
- “Courage” if anxiety holds you back
- “Rest” if you’re constantly exhausted
When you face decisions throughout the year, ask: “Does this align with my word?” It’s flexible enough to adapt to your mental health needs while still giving you focus.
Psychology Today has articles about word-of-the-year approaches and how they can be more effective than traditional resolutions.
SMART Goals (But Make Them Smaller)
You’ve probably heard of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. They work, but most people make them way too big. Here are some examples:
Bad resolution: “Exercise every day for an hour”
Better resolution: “Take a 10-minute walk three times per week”
Bad resolution: “Stop being anxious”
Better resolution: “Practice one grounding technique when I notice anxiety building”
Bad resolution: “Get all A’s this semester”
Better resolution: “Attend office hours once per week for my hardest class”
The American Psychological Association recommends breaking big goals into micro-habits that take less than two minutes to start. Once the small version becomes automatic, you can build on it.
Resolutions That Actually Support Mental Health
Instead of typical resolutions, consider goals specifically designed to help with stress and anxiety:
- Connection: Text one friend per week just to check in
- Sleep: Set a consistent bedtime for weeknights (even if you don’t always hit it)
- Therapy: Attend sessions consistently or finally schedule that first appointment
- Boundaries: Practice saying “no” to one thing per month that drains you
- Coping skills: Learn and practice one new healthy coping technique (check Headspace for guided practices)
What to Do When You “Fail”
You will have setbacks. You’ll skip workouts, forget your resolution, or have weeks where everything falls apart. This is normal and doesn’t mean you failed.
When this happens:
- Don’t start over – just continue from where you are
- Adjust the goal if it’s too ambitious
- Remind yourself that one bad week doesn’t erase previous progress
- Be as kind to yourself as you’d be to a friend
Your Resolution Can Be “No Resolutions”
Finally, here’s something no one else will tell you: it’s completely fine to not make resolutions at all.
If you’re working hard just to manage your mental health, maintain your relationships, and handle your responsibilities, you’re already doing enough. You don’t need to add more pressure just because it’s a new year.
Taking care of yourself, showing up when you can, and being gentle with yourself during hard times – those are worthy goals all on their own.
Whatever you decide, make it work for you, not against you.
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