As soon as the ball drops on Jan. 1 people all around the globe shout “Happy New Year,” pop champagne, kiss loved ones and begin making their resolutions. New year’s resolutions are a part of the ritual of ringing in the new year as we make promises to ourselves that we will be the best version of ourselves this year. Being healthier, cutting back on indulgences and saving money are some common goals that many people will set for themselves. However, is it the right time to make goals? In my opinion, no. This is exactly why, only 25 per cent of people stick to their goals after one month and a mere 10 per cent achieve their goals. I don’t believe the goals are the issue, I think the timeline when we set them is a problem.
It is the dead of winter — peak seasonal depression season — and a new slew of classes, professors and assignments are about to flood your inbox. Is this really the appropriate time to rejuvenate your life?
The media does a great job of making us all feel like we are not doing enough to be the best versions of ourselves. Many tell us that we must be more mindful, go to the gym more and meet all sorts of milestones by a certain date. Scroll through TikTok this time of year, and you’ll be flooded with messages of goal setting, healthy living and how to make the most out of 2025.
The word detox is thrown around a lot this time of year —for some reason January is the time of year when we are supposed to purge our lives of all things deemed “bad” for us. An article written by Jennifer Yoon for the CBC titled A flood of products promises to “detox” to the body. But do you really need any of them? reveals that there truly is no detox product or routine that could give real results. Yoon interviews David Juurlink, a toxicologist who works at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, says there is no silver bullet to detox our bodies. We have all the necessary organ functions to ‘detox’ ourselves and products on the market right now really do not do anything to improve those processes.
Even though it is a prevalent part of our culture to see Jan. 1 as a fresh start, I disagree with this. January is a stressful and gloomy time of year. Instead of new year’s resolutions in January, I believe people should make resolutions in the spring or summer when we are all in a more cheerful mood and have the motivation to make lifestyle changes. For now, Golden Hawks, my hope is for all of you to start the semester off strong and just make it through! No new routines, stick to what you know and what has worked for you in the past and revisit the resolutions when the sun doesn’t set at 4 p.m.
