Why the New Year Can Feel Stressful Instead of Uplifting

Every January, we’re surrounded by New Year’s Resolution ideas urging us to improve in the new year: new habits, new bodies, new routines, new lives. While this practice is framed as hopeful or motivating, many people find that January brings an unexpected mix of pressure, anxiety, and self-criticism rather than inspiration and self-improvement. 

From a psychological perspective, this reaction makes sense. Research, as we’ll explore below, suggests that the stress people feel in January isn’t a personal failure of motivation or discipline; it’s a predictable response to how change is culturally framed at the start of the year.

⏰January Pressure Needs to Work on Its Timing 

(Neigel et al., 2024)

January is a transition period, and transitions are inherently stressful. A study using wearable stress indicators found that stress during the New Year is comparable to other known stress times like academic deadlines and major life transitions. 

January is already physically and emotionally draining after the rush of the holidays. Energy is low, routines are disrupted, but expectations are high to “better yourself”! 

️‍🏋🏻‍♂️Why ‘Better Yourself’ Goals Backfire (Ryan & Deci, 2017; Sheldon & Elliot, 2016)

Research on New Year’s resolutions shows that most people set goals with good intentions. But people struggle to maintain them after the first few weeks. Why a goal is set matters more than what the goal is. Studies find that goals driven by intrinsic motivation (personal meaning, enjoyment, or values) are associated with greater chances of becoming habits and psychological well-being. Externally pressured goals are linked to lower satisfaction and higher stress (e.g., ‘everyone else has New Years resolutions, so I should too’). When January goals feel like obligations rather than choices, they are more likely to create self-criticism rather than growth.

 🏃🏾‍♂️The Type of Goal Matters More Than We Think 

(Oscarsson et al., 2020). 

Not all goals affect mental health in the same way. An experiment looking at New Year’s resolutions found that approach-oriented goals were more successful and less distressing than avoidance-oriented goals. 

Avoidance-based goals can reinforce the belief that something about us is wrong and needs to be fixed. Over time, these goals can intensify stress and chip at self-esteem. 

❌Instead of: ‘I need to stop being bad at X.’

✅Try: ‘I want to add something supportive to my life.’

🧘Rigid Self-Improvement Can Undermine Well-Being (Dickson et al., 2021).

How flexibly we pursue goals matters. A study tracking New Year’s resolution maintenance found that people who adjust or soften their goals without self-judgment reported higher mental well-being over time. Rigid persistence or ‘pushing through no matter what’ did not predict better outcomes. When growth becomes a chore, it can turn into self-punishment rather than self-care.

Final Thoughts

Research doesn’t suggest we should abandon growth altogether, but it does suggest we need to be kinder to ourselves. Evidence supports:

● Intrinsic, values-based goals over externally pressured ones

● Approach-oriented intentions rather than avoidance-based self-correction

● Flexibility and self-compassion as protective factors for mental well-being

This might look like asking:

● What would support me right now?

● What feels aligned, not urgent?

● What do I have the energy to maintain right now?

January often carries the unspoken rule that we should already be improving. However, growth is not linear, seasonal, or bound to a calendar. When self-improvement is rooted in pressure, it tends to increase stress. When it’s rooted in meaning, flexibility, and compassion, it becomes sustainable.

References

Dickson, J. M., Moberly, N. J., Preece, D., Dodd, A., & Huntley, C. D. (2021). Self-regulatory goal motivational processes in sustained New Year resolution pursuit and mental well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 3084. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063084

Neigel, A. R., Vargo, C. J., Tag, B., & Kise, J. J. (2024). Identifying periods of cyclical stress in university students using wearables in-the-wild. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.11823\

Oscarsson, M., Rosenbaum, G. M., Robinson, E., & Albarracín, D. (2020). A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(3), 583–599. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000197

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.

Sheldon, K. M., & Elliot, A. J. (2016). Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: The self-concordance model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(3), 482–497.https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.76.3.482 

*This information is not intended to replace psychotherapeutic and/or medical advice or practices. They are for educational purposes only.