Modern day New Year’s resolutions include cutting back on social media, leaving work on time – and taking fewer selfies, a study has found.
While age-old resolutions such as dieting and giving up cigarettes are still on the list of pledges for January, a dwindling number of smokers and year-round healthy-eating have seen a host of other resolutions become popular.
Now people are choosing a digital detox, with vows such as having fewer Facebook friends, sharing less on social media and not looking at a phone or tablet screen before bed among the top modern resolutions.
Other popular resolutions today include travelling more, watching less TV and calling people more often instead of sending a plain text.
Chris Mottershead, Managing Director, Thomas Cook UK, which commissioned the research to mark the launch of the ‘Beach Holiday Ready’ campaign, said: “There was a time when almost everyone’s resolutions would have been to give up smoking, drink less alcohol or to lose weight.
“But now, with the introduction of technology related vices, there are a wide range of resolutions being made every January.
“Not only does technology play a huge part in our lives, but these resolutions could also be easier to stick to than the more traditional ones of giving up smoking or drinking.
“Travel is also a popular feature with many wanting to see more of the world, go on more holidays and just generally travel more than they currently do.”
The poll, of 2,000 adults, found that going on a diet is the most popular New Year’s resolution, followed by going on mini-breaks and holidays, travelling more often and reading more books.
Drinking less alcohol came fifth, with giving up smoking, setting more time aside for a hobby or personal project, more time with family, cooking from scratch and spending less time on social media completing the top ten.
Printing out and framing more photographs is also on the list of popular resolutions, along with doing something to help a good cause, cutting down on screen-time generally and spending less time checking your phone.
Keeping up-to-date with politics, sharing less on social media and writing or updating a blog also feature.
Researchers found three quarters of Brits have made a New Year’s resolution but more than one in ten don’t even last a day before given in.
Almost four in ten have gone back on their resolution within the first week of January.
Seven in ten admit they have even had years where they had every intention of making a New Year’s resolution, but have given up before they even started trying.
It also emerged 77 per cent of Brits start January with a positive mind-set, but most find that their good mood has faded by the middle of the month.
Almost half put this down to getting fed-up of the bad weather, while another 27 per cent become down-heartened after failing at their resolutions.
But to try and perk themselves up, 31 per cent book a holiday for the year ahead, with nine in ten saying this helps them to get through the long first month of the year.
Another six in ten would also like to try to avoid the January blues by seeing in the New Year abroad if money was no issue, with New York, Australia, Barbados, Las Vegas and the Canary Islands the most popular destinations.
Chris Mottershead, Managing Director, Thomas Cook UK added: “This New Year, Thomas Cook is helping the British public turn the January blues into blue-skies and sunshine by helping them get ‘Beach Holiday Ready’ for 2016 – with the help of a panel of experts.
“As the nation’s leading holiday company we have enlisted an expert panel to help you feel positive, inspired and motivated in the run up to summer while resolutions to be healthier, lose weight or focus on yourself more are top of mind. Are You Beach Holiday Ready focuses on what you can do before you travel to ensure you can indulge while away.”
Thomas Cook asked Anna Williamson, a qualified counsellor, life coach and NLP Practitioner to provide tips on how to stay positive in the new year and stay on track with your resolutions.
1 – Set yourself a Goal
It’s important you keep the goal realistic and achievable, don’t make your goal too unobtainable as it’ll only serve to de-motivate you should you veer off it slightly. Start small, then increase your goals each time you’ve completed one. It’s best to start with a series of short term ‘mini-goals’, and then have a think about setting a more long term one when you’re getting the hang of it. This is proven to help resolutions stick.
2 – Take some ‘Me’ Time
We often spend so much time making sure everything and everyone is ok, that we can accidentally neglect our own needs and mental health. Have a think about what you can do, just for you, and make a ‘deal’ with yourself to dedicate some time each week for yourself. So, maybe it’s reading a favourite book or trashy magazine, it could be having a leisurely browse online at your favourite destinations and planning your next holiday. Go on, you deserve it.
3 – Get up and get Active
At this time of the year, the last thing we often feel like doing is to jump around in the cold or sweat it out in a gym. However, exercise is proven to boost your feel good hormones and brain chemicals, and really can make all the difference to our mood and motivation. So, if sweating it out in a gym class isn’t for you, that’s ok, have a think about what you’d enjoy, maybe it’s swimming (with a nice hot sauna afterwards) or a calming yoga class…boosting our physical health really can help with our overall happy and positive vibes.
4 – Plan something Fun
When we’re juggling work, family and keeping New Year’s resolutions, we can sometimes hit a wall and feel a little overwhelmed. Making plans for the near future is a great way to lift your mood and look forward to something fun. A holiday is an obvious and a great tried and tested way to boost your outlook and keep you on track with the job in hand. You can use it as a reward for achieving a goal or motivation to keep fit and show off that bikini body. So go on, have think about some Summer sun or a cosy winter chalet – a short break, or a long holiday.
5 – Have a chat and cuppa
We’re all so used to checking our smart phones and social media umpteen times a day that it can be really easy to forget the importance and benefits of having a proper face to face chat with someone. Have a think about who you could have a cuppa and natter with, maybe it’s a family member, or that friend you keep putting off – the positive benefits of having a chat with someone and offloading any worries, and in turn listening to theirs, can have such a brilliant and positive effect on your wellbeing. So go on, ditch the mobile and put the kettle on!
Anna Williamson is a TV regular, and entertainment reporter for Digital Spy. She is a part of the on-screen team of psychology experts and panellists for Channel 5 Big Brother’s Bit on the Side. Anna is a campaigning ambassador for mental health charity, Mind and has been awarded a Diploma in Counselling (ASET) and is NLP accredited by the National Council of Psychotherapists (NCP), and is a member of the NCP. She has written for various magazine titles and is the agony aunt for Girl Talk magazine. Check out Anna’s daily tips and techniques on instagram @lifecoachingbyanna or twitter @annawilliamsTV and facebook.com/annawilliamsonofficial
To find out more or book online at www.thomascook.com, by phone on 0844 412 5970 or through the nearest Thomas Cook or Co-operative Travel. For more tips on getting Beach Holiday Ready click here
Top 50 modern resolutions
1. Go on a diet/lose weight
2. Go on a holiday or mini-breaks
3. Travel and see more of the world
4. Read more books
5. Drink less alcohol
6. Give up smoking
7. Put time aside for a personal hobby or project
8. Spend more time with family
9. Cook from scratch more often
10. Spend less time on social media
11. Watch less TV
12. Calls to relatives more often
13. Back up your computer more often
14. Spend less time online
15. Work less overtime
16. Stop looking at a screen before bed
17. Plant a herb garden
18. Print out and frame photos
19. Leave the office on time in the evening
20. Call more instead of text
21. Cut down on screen usage
22. So something pro-active for a cause, such as help the homeless, local farms, refugees etc
23. Spend your time on holiday seeing the sites instead of just sitting around the pool
24. Spend less time checking your phone
25. Eat more avocadoes/quinoa/whatever healthy food is currently fashionable
26. Take fewer selfies
27. Keep up to date with politics
28. Have at least one family activity a week not based on TV or screens
29. Have fewer social media friends/have a Facebook cull
30. Don’t get sucked into sales events such as Black Friday
31. Shop online less
32. Start reading from multiple sources
33. Share less on social media
34. Stop looking at your phone when eating
35. Set reminders on your phone to stop forgetting things
36. Write a blog
37. Save more photos/docs in the ‘cloud’
38. Spend less time playing ‘Angry Birds’ or ‘Candy Crush’ type games
39. Update your blog more often
40. Create a ‘smarter home’
41. Actually do some of the things you have pinned on Pintrest
42. Video call relatives
43. Manage your social media profiles so they are ‘career friendly’
44. Complete/update your LinkedIn profile
45. Straighten or blow-dry your hair less
46. Stop posting on social media after you have been drinking
47. Keep up to date with your tech updates, such as iOS updates
48. To know the latest diets
49. To perfect a photo pose
50. Stop using text speak or shortened words in conversation
