As we further progress into the new year, a common ritual is always set to compile a list of things you want to achieve before this fresh year ends. It can be something small like reading three books, but sometimes it can be as big as climbing Mount Everest.

The beginning of 2024 is a time to “start fresh.” It’s a time to set “New Year’s resolutions.” Although, are New Year’s resolutions really a healthy way to achieve these goals? I believe they can do more harm than good.

There is always the fact of overwhelming the person making these resolutions for themselves. If they are listing all of these goals on a physical piece of paper or on a notes app, it can look very daunting. Depending on how long someone’s list is, they can easily lose motivation and never complete their goals.

This can also take a more toxic role of overemphasizing and nitpicking the results you want. Overemphasizing resolutions can overshadow the significance of the journey itself if there is a rush to just “check it off your list.”

Another big game changer is that resolutions are now so society-based with the constant stream of media presented to us on digital screens, which can lead someone to set unrealistic resolutions.

Society’s perception on resolutions can give a perceived obligation, such as for a reader making their list of resolutions. The amount of books influencers read in the media currently can be from 50 to 120 books a year. One famous Booktuber that I enjoy watching, named Sara Carrolli, read 148 books in the year 2023,while another, Destiny Sidwell, read 142 books.

This can make someone who wants to get back into reading feel pressured and unworthy of the task. They can feel obligated to get to that level to fit in, which can be unrealistic to them personally and could lead to giving up if they are not genuinely invested in it.

If all of this already seems frustrating, how could this not affect a person’s mental health? If they do decide to give up on their goal, as explained in a CBS News article, “it can lead to feelings of inadequacy, which can harm self-esteem and lead to self-criticism,” Michelle Turk, a licensed marriage and family therapist with virtual primary and mental health care, said.

One last harmful effect to New Year’s resolutions can be the end to it. The sense of giving up. Even though you are looking at the long term of the year, as the year progresses, you may lose more and more motivation.

If you tuck those resolutions into a notes app or on a physical sticky note, they can keep getting buried under other work notes or reminders you have made throughout the day. That builds up and up, until you forget about them all together. Or, if you do find them, you may think it is too late to continue to pursue them.

Now, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have aspirations to hone your skills, see or try new things or have a more consistent schedule, for example. You just don’t need to put that hard pressure on yourself to succeed at everything all at once.

Take it day by day, ease outside pressures and try not to overwhelm yourself. Instead of listening to the expectations of New Year’s resolutions, give yourself something to look forward to every day of the year as a more positive outlook. Not just a list of expectations that need to be “solved” or “fixed.”

Take things one step at a time and try to do things that fit to your level, not just society’s standards of New Year’s resolutions.

Ella Katona is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected].