Whether they're big or small, everyone likes to create a list of New Years Resolutions at the beginning of each calendar year. For some, they plan to lose fifty pounds, and others want to gain fifty pounds. Some want to become more social, and some want to become better listeners.
Whether you are strong-willed or easy to crack, setting resolutions and keeping them can be extremely difficult; especially when you're in college. Between maintaining good grades, extracurriculars, shadowing professionals in your field, having a social life, keeping your apartment clean, and finding time to keep yourself sane; there isn't much time to follow up on resolutions once the new year starts.
Here's some super quick and easy things you can do this new year in order to better your mental, physical, social, and emotional life.
1. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
2. Go to the gym at least three times a week.
3. If you cannot make it to the gym, walk to class instead of taking the bus.
4. Walk to class anyway, I promise it won't kill you.
5. Keep healthy snacks in your apartment so you won't eat an entire bag of chips and salsa in one night.
6. Forgive yourself when you eat the entire bag of chips and salsa in one night.
Hey, college is hard.
7. Plan your day before it starts.
Investing in a nice planner may seem unnecessary but I promise you it will save your life.
8. Take 15 minutes in the middle of the day to meditate, read the Bible, pray, journal — whatever centers your mind.
9. Go to the library after class and do your homework so you can relax at night.
10. Stop lying to yourself and saying you'll do your homework later.
We both know you won't.
11. Sleeping for eight hours every night is unrealistic in college, but try to get as much sleep as you can.
This doesn't mean you should spend your entire day napping.
12. Try to meet one new person every day.
Whether they're in your class, around campus, in your dorm, etc.
13. Work on your confidence!
This can be done a variety of ways — Wear a bold shirt out on a Friday night, shoot your shot with that cute boy in your Poli-Sci class, or make an encouraging sticky-note wall building yourself up. If you see confidence, you'll start to believe it.
14. Do something that makes you genuinely happy.
15. Don't worry so much about other's opinions of you and your life.
16. Save some money.
This seems impossible when you barely make any and have school bills to pay, but anything you can set aside now is money you won't have to worry about later.
17. Clean up a little.
Coming home to a messy house after a long day of classes and extracurriculars doesn't help anyone. Tidy up your house before you go to bed each night so you don't feel like a slob every day.
18. Volunteer somewhere.
No, you don't have much spare time but giving what little time you may have helping someone else will not only put a smile on their face but also on yours. Giving back never hurt anyone.