New year, new me – An idea that has been around for decades. 

As the new year starts and the school semester begins, students across the globe start these new chapters with high hopes and new resolutions. The new year and the new semester are a fresh start for students across the board. The new beginnings are a way to restart and to get a clean slate. While setting goals and making resolutions can be a great thing, I think it can also add unwarranted pressure and anxiety for those high-achieving students, which starts students’ new chapters off wrong.

As many students enter the new semester, they set high goals for themselves. Whether it is getting a 4.0, or eating healthier, students are focusing on bettering themselves. Setting goals can be a great way to challenge a person and push them to be the best they can be, yet there is a risk that goes unnoticed. 

According to Psychology Today, “We’ve all heard the phrase “New year, new you,” but setting drastic, sweeping changes can actually overwhelm our cognitive and emotional resources… Psychologically, the brain finds it hard to focus on multiple changes simultaneously, leading to burnout.”

The new semester is already a stressful time for students. Students are getting back into the swing of things at school, and they are having to adjust to their new schedule. With the stress of adjusting back to school life, mounted with the pressures of their New Year’s resolutions, this can ultimately set students up for failure. 

Don’t get me wrong, having goals is important, but overbearing yourself will only lead to burnout and inessential stress. In my opinion, society has this idea that the new year welcomes these amazing resolutions that will change your life, but no one discusses what happens if you fail to keep up with your resolutions. 

While I know there are people out there who keep their resolutions, and their lives really did improve, there is also the majority of people who struggle to keep these grand resolutions.

 According to Forbes, “The Forbes Health/One Poll survey found that the average resolution lasts just 3.74 months. Only 8% of respondents tend to stick with their goals for one month, while 22% last two months, 22% last three months and 13% last four months.”

The idea of making these changes is great until it becomes too stressful and too overwhelming. The new year is supposed to bring change and be a fresh start, which leads me to wonder: Why are we starting our year stressed with these big revolutionary revolutions that we put on ourselves?

Starting the new year stressed is the furthest thing from a clean slate. Students are stressed enough with the new year and the new semester, so what good is it to add more?

In my opinion, I think there are more effective ways to better yourself than putting all this pressure on yourself to achieve these goals. Instead of making these big resolutions to completely change my life and make me a new person, I will be setting small goals for myself. If it is going to the gym once a week, or reading two books a month, I think there are ways to implement changes in a way that will better your life, without overwhelming you. 

With this being a new year, and a new semester, your fresh start doesn’t have to consist of completely changing your habits and your lifestyle. One small change can represent you bettering yourself while prioritizing mental health and stress-free living.

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