New Year

New Year's resolutions

New Year's resolutions are when you decide to make some changes at the start of the new year. New Year = New start.

The start of a new year can be a good time to make changes, but it can sometimes put a lot of pressure on you to succeed. If you do want to make a change and find it hard, don’t be down on yourself. You can make changes at any time of the year, when it’s a good time for you.

If you'd like to chat with others about the new year or how you are feeling this time of year, you can visit our New Year message board.  

How you look

There can be a lot of pressure on both young women and men to look a certain way and fit in with everyone else. Sometimes in the New Year this can seem even more prominent, with a lot of magazines writing about how people look. You can find out more about body image on our How you look page. You can always contact ChildLine if you'd like to talk about how you are feeling.

How can I make my New Year resolution a success?

If you decide to make a New Year resolution, there are a few things you can do that can help you make your change a success.

• Be realistic
  Set yourself a target that you can reach. If you try and do too much at the start you will get fed up quickly and are more likely to give up.

• Get support
  Tell your family and friends about your resolution and don’t be afraid to ask
  for their help. If you have positive people around you wanting you to do well, you are more likely to succeed.

• Be part of a team
  Why not ask a family member or a friend to join you in your resolution?  Doing something new together with a friend can really help encourage you to keep it up.

• Don’t be too hard on yourself
  If you have a bad day or week and don’t do everything that you wanted to do, don’t give up. Start again the next day.

• Chart your progress
  If your resolution is something that you are doing every day or week, you could mark what you have done on a calendar.  You can then look back at how far you have some and what you have achieved.

• Reward yourself
  If you have a good week, do something nice for yourself. Do something you enjoy like go out with your friends, or watch your favourite film.