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New Year, New Me: The pressures of making New Year's resolutions

Mary Greenwood uncovers that while some students embrace New Year’s resolutions for self-improvement, many are taking a more flexible and mindful approach this year.

By Mary Greenwood, Second-year, Law 

As friends and families unite to celebrate the dawn of 2025, one question is sure to be bouncing around: ‘What are your New Year’s resolutions?’. The origins of the evolved tradition of compiling a list of ideas on how you can improve yourself over the coming year are unclear but have been traced back four thousand years to Babylonian civilisations. During that time, people appeared to have made promises to their deities to pay debts and honour their neighbours each year as the crops were planted. With this modern twist on an ancient custom, the question remains: does this create pressure to meet these expectations?

 According to a YouGov survey, resolutions in the twenty-first century are more likely to involve weight loss, healthier eating habits and/or a new gym membership. The logic behind the idea is simple enough and helpful to many people. Sophie, a recent graduate, commented that the beginning of each year ‘provides an opportunity to reflect on [my] life and make choices more intentionally.’ 

For students navigating the often chaotic roller coaster of university life, in a time where there are reported elevated levels of stress, such opportunities can prove invaluable. In a country where many adults report a desire to improve their unhealthy habits like smoking, any encouragement to make changes for the better is undoubtedly positive. However, the concept is not without its critics, both from those who question its efficacy on an individual basis and those who feel it has been manipulated by corporate interests. 

She also notes that her good intentions – such as increasing water consumption – often fade into the background once the thrill of a new year is over. 

Alice is not alone in her outlook – a YouGov poll found that nineteen per cent of people drop their New Year’s resolutions before the end of January, whilst American surveys estimate that as low as nine per cent make it to the end of the year. This suggests that whilst people may begin with good intentions, merely promising to themselves at the beginning of each year that they will buy less, study more, or learn to crochet does not provide an infrastructure to allow them to do so.

An inability to sustain optimistic resolutions is arguably an inevitable response to the return to the stresses and strains of ordinary life once the excitement of the holiday season has passed. However, some students suggest that it is inherent to the nature of a resolution.

‘It’s a lot of pressure to put on people, and some feel discouraged if they don’t succeed straight away.’

However, despite the student testimonies contesting the helpfulness of New Year’s resolutions, as well as the data that speaks to their limited effect on altering personal habits, many companies are embracing January as a lucrative time of the year. Reflective of the fact that many resolutions revolve around improving personal finance habits, YNAB, a digital budgeting platform, reports a twenty-five to fifty per cent increase in new subscription signups in January. Whilst personal finance platform Quicken claims to typically receive fifteen per cent of its new business at that same time. Some companies, such as the popular language platform, Duolingo, take advantage of people’s enthusiasm to offer a fifteen percent January discount. In a world where many students are eying the cost of living crisis and attempting to make adjustments wherever possible, these corporate cash grabs continue to capitalise on the New Year culture of self-improvement.

Pushing back against this, an alternative has sprung up in recent years: ‘no buy’ and ‘low buy’ January. Pioneered by fashion bloggers on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, these trends encourage young people to counter overconsumption by going a month – or even a year – without buying more than necessities, particularly clothes. 

Amy Beecham of Stylist magazine explained that the practice encourages ‘mindful spending’ and offers tips for students attempting to participate, such as deleting spending apps from their phones and learning how to make basic alterations to their clothes. Although this may not be practical for many, it might offer a welcome alternative to consumerism for those looking to spend more responsibly. 

'Second hand flea market' | Ilona Hoffmann

Despite the perceived shortcomings of the traditional New Year’s resolutions, many students still find comfort in the idea of starting afresh and intentionally making healthier, braver, or more creative choices. For some, the solution to this lies beyond a traditional resolution – Alice explained to Epigram that instead of a New Year’s resolution, she sets New Year’s ‘goals.’ These are a less pressurised, more flexible option which allows her to think about how she wishes to change herself without the weight of a resolution. 

Rethinking 'New Year, New You'
Maintaining my New Year's Resolutions

Some students simply devote themselves to improving their lives all year round, whilst others embrace the traditional resolutions. The wide range of options available reflect changing attitudes to personal growth, goal setting and product consumption, whilst demonstrating the desire held by many students to be thoughtful about their life choices and strive to improve. 

Featured Image: Epigram / Ilona Hoffmann


Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?

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