Resolution Roundup - New Year's Resolution Ideas from Leading Baylor Experts

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New Year's resolutions often come with good intentions but can be hard to follow through on and maintain. To help you create lasting, positive change, we asked Baylor University experts to share ideas for resolutions that are easier to sustain while making a positive impact on our lives.

From taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle to embracing gratitude, detoxing from digital devices to detecting disinformation, growing spiritually to staying cybersafe, there are ideas and insights that can improve your overall well-being.

Engage in physical activity

Engaging in regular physical activity and spending time outdoors can profoundly enhance your physical, mental and cognitive well-being. Renée Umstattd Meyer, Ph.D., professor of public health and associate dean for research in Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, recommends making movement a part of your daily routine as you start the new year. Even small, consistent steps can make a significant difference in improving your focus, mood and overall health. Whether through a brisk walk, playful interactions with friends and family or setting achievable fitness goals, making movement a part of your daily routine is both impactful and enjoyable.

“Research has shown that exercise and physical activity, even in relatively shorter bouts, helps with concentration, problem-solving, learning and memory,” Umstattd Meyer said. “If you have a task on your ‘To-Do List’ for school or work that requires you to focus, learn new information or generate innovative ideas, consider taking a brisk walk beforehand to help activate your brain.”

• Enjoy regular outdoor activities. Set aside time to enjoy outdoor activities such as taking a walk, jogging or riding a bike. Choose something that brings you joy. You can start with short amounts of time and build up to incorporating some sort of activity daily for the most benefits.
• Engage playfully with others. Find ways to connect with friends and family through playful, active activities. Try playground games with children, organize recurring “walk and talk” phone calls with distant loved ones or engage in activities that combine movement and enjoyment.
• Set attainable fitness goals. Aim to include physical activity in your routine most days of the week. Start small with 10–30 minutes of activity one to three times a week, and gradually increase as you find joy and consistency. Choose activities that you enjoy, schedule them into your calendar and add accountability through classes, partners or small incentives.

Embrace gratitude 

Gratitude is more than merely a positive emotion. Research shows that expressing and embracing gratitude encourages people to appreciate and nurture their relationships, provides health benefits and helps us flourish as human beings. Leading gratitude researcher Jo-Ann Tsang, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Baylor, shares how people can take healthy steps in the New Year to focus on gratitude and cultivate more of this virtue in their lives.

• Practicing gratitude thoughtfully and intentionally boosts positive emotions, enhances well-being and deepens appreciation for relationships while promoting reflection on their quality and fulfillment.
• Deep reflection helps intentionally cultivate gratitude, making it easier to recognize and appreciate simple moments while acknowledging those who contribute to our lives, which strengthens both our relationships and overall well-being.
• Expressing gratitude strengthens relationships by creating an upward cycle of positive reinforcement, where people feel appreciated, happier and more likely to continue similar behaviors.

“It’s important to note that, in addition to cultivating gratitude, people also need to allow themselves to experience negative emotions such as grief and sadness in response to life circumstances,” Tsang said.

Detecting disinformation 

Disinformation is all around us – from social media posts to misleading “news” – so it’s important to know how to detect false messages effectively. Leslie Hahner, Ph.D., professor of communication at Baylor, is an expert on disinformation and media literacy and offers her ideas on how you can resolve to notice and evaluate disinformation. 

• Notice your emotional reaction. When we see news or content that elicits a strong reaction, this is a time to take note and seek further information.
• Cross-check your information. Don’t immediately believe a claim on social media or the news. Instead, perform broader search engine research to verify the claim.
• Read broadly. Given that media bias and disinformation is so prevalent, it is important to read across news sites. Engage with multiple news sources to create a deeper understanding.

Growing spiritually

Matthew D. Kim, Ph.D., professor of preaching and pastoral leadership and The George W. Truett Endowed Chair in Preaching and Evangelism at Baylor’s Truett Seminary, offers suggestions for spiritual growth and resolutions in faith and worship. As we make New Year’s resolutions, Kim reminds us that God does not want spiritual disciplines or practices to be burdensome but rather to be a delight.

• Be spiritually consistent. Spiritual resolutions, like all resolutions, will be broken. The key is to continue in them even when we miss or skip.
• Set realistic goals. Like working any muscle, spiritual-based goals are best implemented in small increments rather than large, unrealistic ambitions.
• Share your commitment. The best way to keep our spiritual resolutions is to commit to others who will encourage us to stay strong in our commitments.

“God created us to enjoy Him,” Kim said. “The benefit of daily spiritual rhythms is that we will grow in our faith and discipleship. The benefits are simply enjoying the Lord and enjoying His people in the community.”

Digital detox

If you want to spend less time on your digital devices, Meredith David, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, can help. An expert in digital media behavior, David focuses her research on smartphone use, social media and consumer well-being, and her studies show that social media usage increases feelings of loneliness and can undermine self-control. David suggests taking a cleanse from social media in the new year.

• Be mindful of your phone use. You might be shocked at how much time you spend on social media.
• Set time limits on the activities that take up most of your time on your phone.
• Shut off notifications. They cause distractions from other activities and can pull you back into social media.

Resolve to be cybersafe 

Observing cybersecurity tactics is essential in today’s digital world to protect personal information, financial assets and sensitive data from online threats. Jon Allen, Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Baylor, suggests the following cybersecurity best practices to keep your online information safe and protected. Allen encourages everyone to “resolve to strengthen our cybersecurity defenses and protect our personal information” and make 2025 their most secure year yet. 

• Beware of phishing messages. Don’t click on links in email messages from unknown senders.
• Create strong passwords. Use a 12 to 16 character passphrase with a combination of numbers, letters, symbols and spaces.
• Always use Multi-Factor Authentication. Along with a strong password, MFA enhances your cyber defense.
• Keep your software up-to-date. Run the latest operating system and updated versions of apps on your devices.
• Backup your most important files. Use Box, OneDrive or another cloud-based platform to back up your important files.
• Use virtual private networking whenever possible. Connect to a VPN while using public WiFi networks, and always use caution when joining “free” public wireless networks.
• Use AI-based tools responsibly. AI-based platforms and Generative AI tools are still in a developmental phase. Use these powerful tools with caution.
• Beware of mis/disinformation. Verify messages and images before making decisions or taking action.

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