Students - are you planning to make any New Year’s resolutions for 2022? Covid regulations allowing, on New Year’s Eve you’ll be having too much fun to think about resolutions - so spend a little bit of time this month thinking about what you’d like to do differently in this year to give yourself a fresh start. 

You could make some of the usual New Year's resolutions - such as getting fitter, learning a new language, booking a holiday - but if you’re looking for New Year’s resolution ideas for students in 2022, we have some suggestions for you. 
 

Student New Year’s Resolutions for your mental health:

1. Be proud of yourself!
No matter what 2022 may bring, remember that during the weirdest two years the world has ever seen, you have adapted to studying in a pandemic. Nobody else, in the history of education, has faced the same challenges as you, and you got through it. At the very least, you’ve coped; maybe you’ve even thrived. Your resilience, your (often necessary) ability to carry out self-guided learning, and your capacity for coping with change will stand you in excellent stead for the future. 

2. Practise whatever relaxation technique works for you. 
As a student, you’re probably very familiar with stress! You’re under huge pressure to achieve, form and maintain social relationships, manage your own finances, and make decisions about your future.
 
First of all, give yourself permission to feel stressed - it is a perfectly normal reaction to those circumstances. Then, find a relaxation technique that suits you and practise it for at least 5 minutes every day. Once you’re good at it, you can call upon it whenever you need it.

Have a look at some of the techniques suggested by the NHS or Mind.
 

Student New Year’s Resolutions for your future:

3. Learn to drive
We’re ever more mindful of our impact on the environment, and walking or using public transport whenever we can is really important to reduce our carbon footprint. However, when you graduate and move into the world of work, being unable to drive can be a distinct disadvantage. 

Without a car, you might be forced to only consider jobs within a certain distance of your home or public transport hub. Your employer may expect you to have access to a vehicle; and being late for lectures because of train delays is one thing - being late for work is quite another. 

Even if you ultimately never use your licence, passing your driving test while you have the time to learn is a good way to avoid limiting your choices in the future.

4. Learn to cook and plan meals
Save bags of money by finding a few recipes based around pasta, potatoes and rice. Those staples are cheap, easy to use and readily available. Look for easy recipes that you can make in a single pan or oven dish. 

Once you’ve found a few recipes that you can manage easily, make a list of what meals you’re going to make that week, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then, make a shopping list that includes all the ingredients you need for each of those meals, as well as anything you’ve run out of such as toiletries. If you stick to your list, you can keep your shopping budget down, and if you’ve chosen easy recipes that you don’t mind cooking at the end of a busy day you’ll reduce your reliance on takeaways!
 
5. Learn to budget
The basics of budgeting are:
Firstly, add up your income from all sources.
Then, deduct your basics - rent/mortgage, water, electric, gas, council tax, broadband, transport costs, TV licence.
Whatever is left needs to be divided up into separate budgets for food, clothing, entertainment and savings for unexpected bills, Christmas and holidays/breaks.

6. Create a C.V.
It’s never too early to get a C.V. written. Employers will usually have an application form to be completed but many will also ask for a C.V., even if the C.V. only really repeats what you’ve written on your application form! Having the dates and details of your qualifications and experience in an easily accessible format won’t hurt, anyway, and you can add to it throughout your career.

7. Get some work experience
Even if this is a part-time job in a supermarket, rather than work experience specifically tailored to whatever field you want to work in after you graduate, it’s important to show future employers that you are employable. Turning up on time, working diligently, interacting with colleagues and customers respectfully, thinking about what needs to be done rather than relying on being told what to do … all these skills are transferable and valuable to employers.
 

Student New Year’s Resolutions for the soul:

8. Help others
Your studies need to be your main focus, to give you the grades you need for your future. But if you can spare even just an hour every week to help a charity with aims that resonate with you, now is the time to do it. When you’re working full time, you’ll only have evenings and weekends available, and that time vanishes so quickly once you’ve done housework, caught up with friends and family and sat down to relax! Pick a charity that helps something that’s important to you - animals, children, an illness or disability, or the homeless - and contact your local branch to see what you could do to help in the time you have available.

9. Go and spend time with your family
When you’re a fully-fledged adult, you’ll really miss the days when you could go home and be looked after! Your family will be pleased to see you, you’ll have all your home comforts to hand, and you can take a break from being independent for a few days. If you’re going home for a few days or weeks over the holidays and are worried about leaving your belongings in your digs (especially if your housemates will also be away), bear in mind that you can rent a storage locker for a few pounds per week and keep everything safe while you’re at home.

10. Sleep better
Set a regular time to get up - even at the weekends. Your body will naturally adjust to a healthy sleeping pattern and you’ll soon feel more refreshed and able to face the day ahead. Avoid caffeine after noon, turn on your blue light filter after 9pm if you can’t face putting your screen down altogether, and use some of your relaxation techniques to send you off to sleep.

So, what New Year resolutions will you be making as a student in 2022? Whatever you choose, remember that improving your life is a marathon, not a sprint, and forgive yourself if you don’t stick to your resolution all the time! Do what you can, but be kind to yourself.