Therapists Say You Should Ditch These 10 New Year’s Resolutions

Therapists Say You Should Ditch These 10 New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions often sound great on paper, but therapists warn that some popular goals can actually harm your mental health and well-being. Many people set themselves up for failure by choosing resolutions that are too extreme, unrealistic, or based on unhealthy expectations.

Instead of helping you grow, these common resolutions might leave you feeling stressed, disappointed, or worse about yourself. Here are ten resolutions mental health experts say you should skip this year.

1. Completely Eliminating All Treats

Cutting out every single dessert, snack, or comfort food might seem like a healthy choice, but therapists say this all-or-nothing approach usually backfires.

When you ban certain foods completely, they become even more tempting and can lead to unhealthy obsessions or binge eating later.

A balanced relationship with food means enjoying treats in moderation without guilt.

Deprivation creates a cycle of restriction and overindulgence that damages your mental and physical health.

Rather than eliminating foods you love, focus on adding more nutritious options to your meals.

This positive approach feels less punishing and creates sustainable habits that last beyond January.

2. Losing a Dramatic Amount of Weight Quickly

Setting extreme weight loss goals puts tremendous pressure on your body and mind.

Therapists explain that rapid weight loss plans often lead to disappointment, health problems, and damaged self-esteem when the inevitable plateau or regain happens.

Your worth isn’t determined by a number on the scale.

Focusing solely on weight ignores other important aspects of health like strength, energy levels, and how you feel daily.

Instead of chasing a specific number, consider goals centered on how you want to feel.

Moving your body in ways you enjoy and nourishing yourself properly creates lasting change without the mental toll of constant weight obsession.

3. Being Productive Every Single Moment

Hustle culture tells us that every minute should be optimized, but mental health professionals warn this mindset leads straight to burnout.

Constantly pushing yourself without breaks drains your creativity, energy, and joy.

Rest isn’t laziness; it’s a biological necessity that your brain and body require to function properly.

Without downtime, your performance actually decreases, and you become more prone to mistakes and illness.

Give yourself permission to do nothing sometimes.

Relaxing, daydreaming, and enjoying leisure activities recharge your mental batteries and make you more effective when you do work.

Balance creates sustainability that constant productivity never can.

4. Saying Yes to Every Opportunity

Many people resolve to be more social or adventurous, but therapists caution against overcommitting yourself.

Saying yes to everything spreads you too thin and leaves no time for what truly matters to you.

Boundaries protect your energy and mental health.

When you agree to things you don’t actually want to do, resentment builds and your genuine relationships suffer.

Learning to say no is a powerful skill that honors your needs and priorities.

Quality matters more than quantity in friendships, activities, and commitments.

Choose carefully what deserves your time and energy, and don’t feel guilty about declining the rest.

5. Achieving Perfection in Everything

Perfectionism masquerades as high standards, but it’s actually a form of self-criticism that prevents you from enjoying your accomplishments.

Therapists see perfectionism as a major contributor to anxiety, depression, and procrastination.

When you demand flawlessness from yourself, you set impossible standards that guarantee failure and disappointment.

This creates a cycle where you never feel good enough, no matter what you achieve.

Embrace the concept of good enough.

Progress and effort matter far more than perfection.

Making mistakes is how humans learn and grow, so give yourself the same compassion you’d offer a friend who stumbled.

6. Completely Transforming Your Personality

Resolving to become an entirely different person suggests that who you are right now isn’t acceptable.

Therapists emphasize that this mindset damages self-acceptance and creates unrealistic expectations for change.

Your core personality traits are part of your identity, and fighting against them causes internal conflict.

Trying to force yourself into someone else’s mold leads to exhaustion and feeling like a fraud.

Work with your natural tendencies rather than against them.

If you’re introverted, don’t force yourself to become the life of every party.

Instead, find ways to honor your authentic self while gently stretching your comfort zone when it serves you.

7. Cutting Out All Social Media Forever

While reducing screen time has benefits, completely eliminating social media through sheer willpower often fails because it doesn’t address underlying habits.

Therapists suggest that extreme digital detoxes can backfire when you inevitably return to old patterns.

Social media isn’t inherently evil; it’s how you use it that matters.

Many people maintain important connections and find valuable communities online.

Rather than an all-or-nothing ban, create intentional boundaries around your usage.

Set specific times for checking apps, curate your feed to include positive content, and notice how different platforms affect your mood.

Mindful use beats cold turkey every time.

8. Never Feeling Negative Emotions Again

Toxic positivity tells us to stay happy all the time, but therapists know that suppressing difficult emotions causes more harm than good.

Sadness, anger, and frustration are normal human experiences that provide important information about our needs.

When you judge yourself for feeling bad, you add shame on top of the original emotion.

This creates a double burden that makes everything harder to process and move through.

Allow yourself the full range of human emotions without labeling them as good or bad.

Acknowledging and sitting with uncomfortable feelings helps them pass more quickly than fighting or hiding them does.

Emotional health includes the whole spectrum, not just the pleasant parts.

9. Comparing Yourself Constantly to Others

Resolving to match someone else’s achievements, appearance, or lifestyle keeps you trapped in an endless comparison game you can’t win.

Therapists warn that this habit destroys self-esteem and prevents you from appreciating your unique path.

Everyone faces different circumstances, challenges, and starting points.

What you see of others’ lives is usually a curated highlight reel that doesn’t reflect reality.

Focus on your own progress rather than measuring yourself against others.

Celebrate your improvements, no matter how small they seem.

Your journey is yours alone, and comparing chapters from different books never makes sense.

Building self-compassion means recognizing your individual worth beyond external metrics.

10. Fixing Everything About Your Life Immediately

January first isn’t a magic reset button, despite what advertising and social pressure suggest.

Therapists see clients overwhelm themselves with massive resolution lists that tackle every perceived flaw simultaneously, which guarantees failure.

Real change happens gradually through consistent small steps, not overnight transformations.

Trying to overhaul everything at once divides your attention and energy too much for any single goal to succeed.

Choose one or two meaningful areas to focus on this year.

Give yourself grace for the messy, imperfect process of growth.

Life isn’t a problem to solve but an ongoing experience to navigate with patience and self-compassion.