By: EMILY MCCOOLE
Staff Writer
emccoole@iu.edu
We are already more than halfway through January 2019. Is a New Year’s resolution (NYR) still in the picture? Do the workout clothes you bought still have tags on them? How about those chia seeds? Are you really going to make a smoothie bowl every morning? Every year, a resolution seems like such a great idea but, it turns out to be a big struggle.
IU South Bend is a resolution friendly campus. Free access to a great gym in the Student Activities Center (SAC) and around the corner from plenty of healthy food options. But sometimes, or most times, that isn’t enough.
College students can all relate. If they already balance school and work, they feel like they can’t complete a goal like a New Year’s resolution.
“I have a super busy schedule right now with work and school. So, I feel like that hinders me the most,” said Sam Patrick, junior. “I feel like every time I make a resolution I set myself up for failure.”
This was never an unfamiliar feeling. Most NYR’s struggle and die out during the first month of the new year. Unfortunately, the goals that are being set are actually really great, but never achieved.
Kasey Pawlak, senior, said that her goals for the year “are going to the gym on a regular basis and eating better, less processed stuff.”
A diet change is a lifestyle change. A routine always helps, and it can be very therapeutic. There are only a couple shortcomings, like the time, energy, and cost.
“It’s expensive,” said Pawlak. And it’s true.
“The healthiest diets cost about $1.50 more per day than the least healthy diets,” according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
Many college students are guilty of those late-night fast food runs. Even when you’re short on time, McDonald’s is better than nothing.
A recurring theme with a NYR is that it requires extra time to get in to an unfamiliar routine. It can also be stressful to add another item on to your to- do list.
Allocation and prioritization of time is difficult with a hectic schedule. Some students suggest buying a planner or journal to organize and construct a routine to follow daily.
“I actually got a new kind of journal and it’s a little more customizable,” said Anna Piesyk, senior.
Journaling is quite trendy for college students. It’s helps create an outline of your life.
“It has an hour-by-hour chart so I can plan my days out, which is nice with college,” said Piesyk. Students feel like they need to plan their days hourly just to stay on top of things.
Whatever the NYR may be, don’t accept defeat. Set realistic and beneficial goals. Don’t let the word “routine” have a negative connotation. The same goes for accomplishing goals in general. Find a routine that works for you and stick with it.
