It’s that time again. Christmas is officially over, the bleak reality of January has set in, and thoughts of New Year’s resolutions are on many minds. Yet, for many, these resolutions are simply impossible to achieve, with research from 2017 showing that 80% of them fail by February.
But this doesn’t have to be the case. Many popular resolutions are actually easily attainable, with modern life making them simpler to achieve than ever before. With the substantial benefits that can be gained by successfully sticking to New Year’s resolutions like these, they are well worth pursuing.
Here are four that you should be able to keep:
1. Learn a new language
Learning a new language is becoming an increasingly popular New Year’s resolution for Brits, with 1 in 5 citing it as an aim for 2018. There are clear benefits of doing so. Significantly, being bilingual can hugely benefit your career, and can even open new career paths. Not only can you directly enter a language-based career, such as through translation or interpreter roles, but you could also broaden the scope of your current occupation. Your bilingualism will make you more appealing to global companies through having a skill that is at a premium.
Not only can learning a new language boost your career, but it can also improve your brain’s executive function, the system that helps you when planning and solving problems, as well as help to fight off Alzheimer’s and dementia.
With the breadth of translation apps on offer, it is much easier to learn a new language than ever before. With sophisticated teaching techniques and options for a wide range of languages, this a New Year’s resolution that can be easily attainable. Say oui to learning a new language in 2018!
2. Eat more fruit and veg
Still reeling from the after effects of consuming more turkey and pigs in blankets than you can shake a stick at? Then make a fruitful New Year’s resolution to eat more fruit and vegetables. Only one in four Brits manage to consume their five a day, yet doing so can again have significant benefits.
Fruit and veg are filled with vitamins, fibre and antioxidants, and these have been proven to prevent the onset of chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease. They are low in calories, meaning they help keep the pounds off, and can even boost mental health.
Much like learning a language, modern innovation makes eating more fruit and vegetables much easier to achieve than ever before. You can now consume fruit and veg on the go, with blenders like the Nutribullet blitzing solids into smoothies within seconds, and a number of supermarkets have endeavoured to make more apparent their fruit and veg options. For example, Tesco renovated its website to help vegetarians and vegans to more easily find suitable food, and Sainsbury’s experimented with having vegetarian alternatives on the same shelves as meat products. Here’s to a healthier 2018.
3. Travel more
As Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger said: “Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind.” Don’t allow yourself to be confined to the same old place, seeing the same old things, day in, day out. The world is there to be explored.
Travelling provides you with unforgettable memories, can impart you with new knowledge and language skills, and allows you to break up the monotony of day to day life. It can even be beneficial for your health, with those taking annual holidays shown to have less of a risk of certain chronic diseases, as well as reducing stress and leading to greater productivity when returning to work
It also could not be easier to do so. Flights are cheaper and the web has made planning and booking travelling easier than ever before. There are viable alternative accommodation options, with hostels becoming a more feasible option for travellers, and the ever popular Airbnb allowing you to easily stay in a stranger’s home. Don’t stay put in 2018.
4. Get off your phone
Recent research shows that the UK ‘has never been more addicted to smartphones‘, with the average person checking their phone around 600 times a day, and 73% of Brits stating that they’d struggle to go a day without checking their phone or computer. This addiction can have serious ramifications.
Studies have shown that such a reliance on smartphones can be linked to increased depression and anxiety, as well as leading to insomnia and loneliness. People are spending more time talking to others on their phones than actually meeting up with with them in person, and even when they do, many still regularly use their devices while with friends or with their partner. This can be detrimental to relationships with others.
This being the case, why not go on a digital detox in 2018? This is yet another straightforward New Year’s resolution to follow. Why not consider leaving your phone at home when going places, or take up new hobbies to replace time spent on your phone? You don’t even need to go cold turkey with it, and instead can simply reduce your use a bit at a time.
Sticking to a New Year’s resolution is often seen as a mountain that cannot be climbed, yet a number of resolutions are easier to carry out to than you would think. Consider these four resolutions to kick-start a better 2018.
