New Year’s Resolutions: Reframing Goals for Mental Health
As the calendar flips to a new year, many of us feel an unspoken pressure to “start fresh” and to plan to achieve many new (often big) lifestyle changes. New Year’s resolutions promise transformation - better habits, better bodies, better lives. But for many people, especially those navigating anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, or burnout, resolutions can quickly turn into a source of stress, shame, or self-criticism.
Reframing new year’s resolutions
From a mental health perspective, the problem isn’t having goals - it’s how we frame them.
Traditional resolutions are often rooted in perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking: I will exercise every day. I will stop procrastinating. I will finally fix myself this year. When life inevitably gets messy, missing the mark can feel like failure rather than part of being human. This can reinforce negative self-talk and lead to giving up altogether by February.
Instead of asking, “How can I completely reinvent myself?” a gentler and more effective question is: “What would support my well-being right now and in a realistic way?” Mental-health-friendly goals focus less on outcomes and more on values, flexibility, and self-compassion. For example, rather than resolving to “be less anxious,” you might aim to practice one grounding skill when anxiety shows up. Instead of “be more productive,” consider setting one realistic priority per day.
Another helpful shift is moving from rigid resolutions to intentions. Intentions acknowledge that progress is not linear and that setbacks don’t erase growth. An intention like “I want to treat myself with more kindness” leaves room for learning, adjusting, and starting again without the guilt.
It’s also important to recognize that not everyone starts the year from the same place. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, grieving, or emotionally exhausted, maintaining stability may be a significant achievement. Choosing to keep therapy appointments, take medication consistently, or simply get through the day is not “doing less” - it’s meeting yourself where you are.
Mindful ways of setting goals this new year
If you do set goals, keep them small, specific, and supportive:
Focus on what you can add rather than what you must eliminate
Break goals into manageable steps
Expect interruptions and plan for flexibility
Celebrate effort, not just results
in conclusion
Remember that growth doesn’t require a January deadline. You are allowed to change, reset, and begin again at any point in the year. Mental health isn’t built through dramatic overhauls - it’s shaped through consistent, compassionate choices made over time. Don’t forget that you are trying to make lifestyle changes, which can take months of newly built habits to rewrite old ones - allow flexibility as needed.
This year, instead of asking yourself to be someone new, consider offering yourself what you’ve needed all along: patience, understanding, and support. That kind of resolution doesn’t fade - it grows with you.
-Ciera Canaday, LCSW and Clinical Director