The New Year always means a fresh start and new goals for many people. On New Year’s Eve many of us are used to making resolutions for the upcoming year.

But what are these resolutions and why do people make them year by year? Where does this tradition come from?

And the most important which resolutions should you make that you can actually keep and that would be helpful for your mental and physical health.

Here I will provide you with the list of the most common and valuable resolutions you should make for the next year. Let’s go!

The History behind Resolutions

It is believed this tradition is borrowed from Babylonians dating back over 4,000 years ago. The Babylonians celebrated the New Year during a 12-day festival called Akitu as the beginning of the farming season.

They would plant crops during this festival and make promises to pay debts and return all the borrowed equipment.

Afterwards this custom was embraced by ancient Romans. Emperor Julius Caesar introduced an entirely new calendar in 46 BC, declaring January 1st as the beginning of the new era.

New Year’s Resolution Statistics Nowdays

What do people wish for nowadays? About 23 percent of the population wish to live healthier during the next year. Personal improvement was the resolution for 21 percent of interviewed people.

On the third place is the resolution of losing weight. Other common resolutions are to stop smoking or drinking, be promoted at work, travel, reach financial independence etc.

But does someone really keep these resolutions and follow them?

How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution

The hardest part is not to make resolutions but to keep them. First of all, it is vital to be realistic about your resolutions. Don’t make those you know you won’t be able to keep.

Think about your resolutions before the actual NYE night. Make a list to clarify it. Take your time. Set small measurable goals.

Track your progress and reward yourself even for the smallest achievements. Take small steps and stop focusing on the end result.

ard yourself even for the smallest achievments. Take small steps and stop focusing on the end result.   

Resolutions to try for 2023

Here is the list of the resolutions you should try to keep the next year:

1. Drink more water. 

It is the easiest way to improve your health overall. Drinking water can prevent you from dehydration. Water improves your mental and physical performance, helps with weight loss and digestion.

If you don’t get enough water, you could be at risk for impaired attention and short-term memory. Drink water whenever and wherever you can. Always have a bottle with you!

2. Get more sleep

You may be surprised to learn just how many health benefits good quality sleep brings. Lowering your risk for developing serious diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Reducing stress and improving your mental health is an easy way to start feeling better. It also helps you get along better with people and so much more.

Make sure you get enough quality sleep everyday!

3. Create a skincare routine

Having a good skincare routine is an essential part of having a healthy looking skin, if not the most important one.

The three main steps of a quality skincare routine are cleaning, toning and moisturising. Do not neglect any of these steps. And dont forget about SPF!

4. Start reading food labes 

Start to pay attention to what you eat and what you buy in the supermarket. Food labels are very important, even though many people do not pay attention to it.

Try to avoid processed food in general. If you want to eat something sweet, avoid processed sugar too.

Better replace it with some natural sugar which is contained in fruits for example. It will help you to keep your body healthy in comparison with added ones.

5. Stop having late snacks

It’s recommended to wait at least three hours after you’ve eaten to go to bed. This gives your body time to digest your food so you’re not up till late with full indigest stomach and acid reflux.

Most of the time food which people consume at night is just fat and carbs like ice cream, chips, cereals, sweets. If you eventually want to have some snack late at night try to replace it with healthier options without added sugar.

6. Stop sitting, move more

Due to the current pandemic situation in the world many people work from home and of course they are sitting during the whole work day.

Sitting, whether it’s on the sofa or chair, is bad for your health. It can increase your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. When possible take some breaks during the day, get up, walk, go outside, stretch.

These small movements every day will contribute greatly to your health improvements.

7. Mental health is important

Undoubtedly, our mental health is as crucial as our physical health to be happy, if not more. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

It affects all aspects of our everyday life: work, relationship, mood, motivation, behaviour etc. Stay strong, clear your mind, take a break or ask for help if needed.

Therapy is a great way to help dealing with mental and personal problems, don’t be afraid of it. Take care of your mental health!

8. Meditate for 10 minutes every day

It’s always a good idea to find at least 10 minutes everyday to dedicate to yourself.

Meditation helps to calm and clear your mind, relax your body, you might even feel energised. One of the most popular types of meditation is yoga. You definitely should try!

9. Find a new hobby

I certainly recommend you to find something you really enjoy doing in this life and you will see how much joy it will bring to you.

Maybe you had some hobby you enjoyed when you were younger or something new that recently caught your eye. There must be something, find it and make yourself a little bit happier.

10. Reduce alcohol

This is one of the main resolutions of many people. But it is quite hard to maintain.

Start with small goals. First reduce the amount of drinks you have per night, try to drink more water in between.

It’s better to avoid strong alcohol and switch for drinks like wine or cider or beer. Drinking alcohol can lead to many serious health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems.

Conclusion

So here you have a small list of resolutions for the next year of 2023 that you can follow and some tips on how to keep it.

Don’t hesitate and believe in yourself. I believe in you!