The new year can be a time of reflection and change. With this fresh start comes the opportunity to bid farewell to the past year and set new goals for yourself, like making healthier food choices, exercising more, or curbing an unhealthy habit. Setting goals takes commitment and time, but it’s the best way to make positive, healthy lifestyle choices. How you frame and specify those goals plays a huge role in your chance of success.
No matter where you fall, you can use these tips to help you embrace the change in 2025.
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Plan ahead
If you’re setting new goals or implementing a new routine for the new year, plan ahead to make things easier on yourself. Giving yourself more time to reflect will make you more intentional about your choices. -
Set realistic goals
This is an important one. When setting your goals, make sure they’re realistic and achievable to improve your chances of success. For example, if you want to incorporate healthy exercise into your life as a goal, start by committing to going to the gym once a week. Or build a habit of going on a short walk during your lunch break. Start small and slowly work your way up to bigger goals. -
Acknowledge change
You’ll actively make some changes, and others will just happen around you. While you may be tempted to ignore unexpected or undesirable changes, you’ll be better equipped to handle them once you acknowledge them. Though you may not feel like fully embracing change at this time, let yourself be open to the possibilities. -
Manage stress
One of the best things you can do for yourself during a major change is to properly manage your stress. This means listening to your body, sticking to a healthy sleep schedule, eating a balanced diet, and utilizing healthy coping mechanisms, such as mindfulness or exercise. You may also want to seek support from friends, family members, or a trusted professional. -
Reward yourself
Part of successfully embracing change is keeping up positive momentum. Do this by celebrating milestones and rewarding yourself when you meet your goals. Implementing new routines is hard work. You deserve to feel good about the progress you’ve made. This might look like treating yourself to your favorite snack or buying that item you’ve had on your wish list.
A new year brings many changes—both expected and not—you can aim to set yourself up for success. If you’re a member of Mass General Brigham Health Plan, you can also find a number of behavioral health resources through Optum or Lyra.
If you found this article useful, here’s another we think you’d like: 5 healthy habits to kick off the new year.
