Whether you are one to make official New Year’s resolutions that reflect on the previous year, or the type to start working on goals whenever the mood strikes, everyone can agree that trying to better oneself is never a bad thing.
For those who make resolutions at the beginning of the year, many often struggle with keeping their self-made promises after the first two to four weeks into January.
According to Elena Petrova, Director of Student Counseling and Psychological Services at Augusta University, resolutions or goals are important because they encourage people to change.
“We’ve noticed we want to change something,” she said. “The challenge oftentimes, with any New Year’s resolution, is how realistic those goals are and how realistic we are in getting that set up.”
If it is choosing to spend less time on social media or making more time for yourself or friends, Petrova said it is vital to start off with small and achievable goals that can lead to bigger ones.
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“Whatever it may be, start off with small steps so that we can set ourselves up for success,” she said. “When we have these big goals that are hard to achieve we typically don’t like that. We can easily convince ourselves that it’s not worthwhile, we give up and we just get discouraged.”
She recommends people spend some time setting up a doable plan which will slowly work towards the ultimate goal. For example, if someone wanted to create more home cooked meals, they should dedicate time making sure they have the necessary tools, knowledge and recipes to achieve said goal.
One resolution people can choose to pursue in the New Year is helping others through volunteer work. Petrova said such a resolution is a great choice because it not only offers benefits for individuals, but also helps improve their community.
Volunteering can be something one adds to their weekly, bi-weekly or monthly routine; even just an afternoon spent helping others, is one that can have an enormous impact.
“I think it’s very rewarding. It’s a very selfless act because volunteering isn’t focusing on ‘me’ or the person; it’s very much [focusing] on other people and their needs,” she said.
Petrova explained how helping others directly or completing a project keeps volunteers’ minds preoccupied while simultaneously creating a sense of purposefulness, usefulness and accomplishment. In turn, this creates positive feelings towards our self-esteem and self-worth, which can help in coping with life’s downfalls.
“When we struggle with any personal problem they can be very consuming – whether that is just struggling with life stressors, problems at work, with family, with anxiety or depression,” she said.
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Petrova said symptoms of mental health issues can often cause people to dwell on mistakes and events of the past, or cause them to hopelessly worry about things which could occur in the future. Volunteering and focusing on others’ struggles can help alleviate such feelings.
“I hate to use the word ‘distraction’ because it’s so much more than that, but I think any time we volunteer or we give, in whatever way that may be, that in itself sort of takes the mind off that focus of the what ifs,” she said. “It’s good for us, in some sense, to be busy. Not meaninglessly busy but to find purpose in our work and contribution – in being able to do something or give something. There’s just something really powerful and healthy about that.”
To research different volunteer organizations and opportunities in the CSRA, visit: https://www.volunteermatch.org/search/orgs.jsp?aff=&includeOnGoing=true&r=msa&l=Augusta%2C+GA%2C+USA
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
