Other young people are being realistic about what they need to accomplish a lasting change — and it isn’t a trendy New Year’s resolution.
Abbey Phaneuf, 22, who lives in New York and is a marketing associate at Loftie, a company that makes consumer goods that help you sleep better, said that every year she feels pressure to make a resolution.
“I get a lot of TikToks that are about workout routines, and how to change your body in a month, and what you should be eating,” she said. “I think people see other people trying to become the best versions of themselves, and they feel like they should do the same.”
But she knows that in order to really change her life, she has to want to go deep within; it can’t just be something she is doing because of groupthink. “If you are just going to the gym because of something you saw on TikTok, that isn’t sustainable.”
She’s skipping the whole resolution thing this year. Instead, she’s focusing on making the change she wants — participating in more activities in New York City — gradually. “I’ve been looking up things for a while — running clubs and volunteering,” she said. “It’s an ongoing goal of mine, and I’m going to do it when I’m ready.”
Emily Mooshian, 27, a proofreader in Haverhill, Mass., also used to feel pressure to declare a resolution on New Year’s. “I’ve always viewed a New Year’s resolution as something I have to do because everyone else is doing it,” she said. “But I also feel like this is stupid. I’m not going to stick with it if I’m doing it because everyone else is.”