As the clock counts down, people from all over the world find themselves on the edges of their seats, desperate to have a chance at a fresh start. When the calendar resets, the crisp January air is flooded with cheers and fireworks to ring in the New Year. But as minutes pass, the fireworks burn out, people file out of restaurants, everyone returns to their lives as if nothing had changed. 

The immense excitement leading up to New Year’s Eve leaves countless people in high hopes of new beginnings. Especially after the last two years being littered with a worldwide pandemic, many find themselves itching to break bad habits they may have created in quarantine. As a result, New Year’s resolutions are born.

While wanting to break a bad habit is the first step to change, many people rarely make it to step two; actually pursuing it. According to Finder.com, Roughly 74.02% of the American population will make a resolution leading up to the New Year. But SSMHealth unsurprisingly claims that less than 8% will actually follow through. So what goes so wrong with the leftover 66.09%?

Patience is something many Americans struggle to possess. Personally, I can get frustrated when people in front of me walk too slowly. Even the New Year’s capital of the world, New York, is known for its impatient and hasty nature. Needless to say, it is a common occurrence for people to make resolutions which require an immense amount of time that they don’t have the patience to give. Simply put, New Year’s resolutions will not work if you can’t make the time or possess the right motivation. 

Statista.com says that out of the top four most common resolutions being made in America thus far, three of them have something to do with altering the appearance of one’s body. While improving diet and overall physical health is a reasonable thing to desire, it can only be achieved if you are doing it for yourself as well. With social media taking over the technology world by storm, it can be easy to fall victim to toxic and unachievable beauty standards being placed upon people of all genders. Kids and young adults from ages 12 to 24 are often found to be large consumers of social media. Additionally, they are the most impressionable, leaving them statistically the least able to tell the difference between a healthy body and a heavily edited body on social media. Without proper guidance, such individuals may only pursue resolutions concerning body image over the fear that their body or health doesn’t match the unachievable standards set by social media. 

The subconscious stigma that you must “upgrade” parts of yourself right before a new year is simply a hoax. Taking care of yourself or improving your mind and body can happen at any time and any pace of your choice. You should not have to become a different version of yourself over the fear that your current lifestyles or habits don’t satisfy the toxic standards of living within society. A new year is simply just a new year. It doesn’t have to mean no chips. It doesn’t have to mean no ice cream. A new year doesn’t mean you have to stop being you. Resolutions can be accomplished in a healthy manner as long as you manage your time and motivations. No matter what path you choose to take this upcoming year, you are worthy of happiness and a healthy lifestyle. And yes, even ice cream.