2022 hasn’t started in an exactly joyful place. We set foot into the third year of COVID-19 with rising cases and a new, more contagious variant. We’ve built resilience and flexibility in adjusting to this new world. At the same time, it remains hard to shake the discontent and frustration with our situation, especially when we have so little power to change it. 

Perhaps that’s why this past New Year felt different than other years. According to a recent CBS poll, fewer Americans are making New Year’s resolutions this year, down from around 42% in 2020 and 2021 to 29% in 2022. 

Many are citing the unpredictability of 2021 as the main reason. Without the ability to plan ahead with confidence, people are finding it difficult to focus on an undependable future. Additionally, the ever-prolonged pandemic has somewhat destroyed the feeling that the new year is a “fresh start”; instead, many feel stuck in the same place we’ve been for the past two years. 

But perhaps we shouldn’t discard the tradition of resolutions just yet. Even though New Year’s resolutions are often derided as futile efforts doomed to fail by February, they can actually be a valuable and effective tool for self-improvement. 

A 2020 study found that 55% of participants viewed themselves as successful in achieving their resolutions after one year. Additionally, according to a 2008 study, people who actively make resolutions are 10 times more likely to achieve their goals than people who don’t. 

In a time fraught with uncertainty, perhaps New Year’s resolutions provide the much-needed reassurance that we have power over our lives, even if only in small ways. In the spirit of reviving an old tradition, here are a few resolution ideas for 2022. 

One thing everyone could use is more breaks. While Baldwin students are known to stay up late studying, stress can often impact your quality of sleep and subsequent mood. Instead, set a specific time to stop working and unwind before sleep, and plan time for self-care activities. 

At the same time, you might also want to cultivate new exciting experiences. In the mundane schedules of school, work, and more school, you can still try new hobbies and find joy in the everyday. Maybe learn how to bake, take up a new language, or just start doodling in a journal—there can be so many reasons to be excited to wake up in the mornings! 

Or, if you want to look outside yourself for improvement in the new year, your resolution could be to spark change in some issue you care about. Every change starts with the first person who is committed enough to care and care enough to act—why can’t that be you? Large scale world issues can often make us feel powerless, but finding small ways to commit your passion to action can actualize your vision. 

Like ever before, we must find our hope, our strength, and our joy. Little things like New Year’s resolutions can help us find our footing as we continue to move forward through 2022. 

P.S.: about finding joy…if you don’t know where to start, may we suggest the puzzles on the back page?