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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at KU chapter.

Happy New Year y’all! I know we are already a few weeks into the year, but classes are back in session, so I believe for most of us it is feeling real now. 2023 is in our midst. A lot of us may be wondering “how did we get here in one piece?” I know I think that at times. 2022 could have been your best year ever. It could have also been your worst. For me, it was a mix of both. Experienced my first break up and surely not my last. I graduated high school. Started college. Made new friends and lost old ones. Began my self-discovery journey. Changed my major. Battled with my faith. It was one hell of a year. Let’s make 2023 an even better one.

So, how many of you have already given up on your New Years Resolutions? I have given up on a few…too many. That’s normal. Most of us come into the New Year with these high expectations that we are going to become our absolute best version of ourselves this year. We do great for a week or two and then gradually make excuses for why we are not sticking to our resolutions. Let me just tell you. That is perfectly okay because we all fail at times. Make mistakes. However, don’t give up completely on them yet. We may already be a month into the year, but I believe every day is a new beginning. So, why not try to start up those resolutions once again? It may just change your life for the better. Here are some examples of resolutions that I am currently partaking in:

Exercising and eating healthier: I don’t know how you feel about this but trying to eat healthy in college is a struggle. Especially when you live in a dorm, and you are surrounded by unhealthy options. What I do is I tend to pack snacks for the day, so I am not tempted to go grub hub something (this is also a great money saving tactic). When I am at the dining hall, I look for the healthier items and stick to those. This does not mean you have to eat healthy all the time though! It is all about balance. When it comes to exercising, start slow. Go for a walk. Go to the gym. Go play basketball or any other sport. Do something you love to do that also gives you physical activity! Just don’t overdo it and remember you are perfect just the way you are, so don’t stress this!

Read: Okay, okay, I know how much of you may hate reading. You find it boring. Time consuming which yes, reading can be both at times. However, this just means you haven’t found the right genre yet. There are books that you are going to dislike entirely. Trust me, I have plenty, but once you find the genre you love, it is easy to fall in love with every book you read, and you won’t want to put it down. Also, reading does so many great things for your memory, and it is such a better outlet than social media so pick up a book and try it!

Stop the procrastination: This is something I have already failed on this year. I am the queen of procrastination and I bet many of you are too. Any excuse to not do my homework was worth taking. However, I am really trying to be better about this. Some ways I do this is dedicating an hour or two in the morning to get my homework done. It doesn’t always happen, but hey at least you can say you tried!

Wake up early: I hate waking up early. I am not the 5 am “it” girl and I assume many are you not either. So, don’t go into this resolution thinking you are going to wake up at 5 am every single day and be your most productive self. You will be disappointed. Now, if you can do this good for you girlie keep it up. But for us who can’t, start out waking up around 8 or 9. That is a good mid-range. Just see how productive you can become!

Focus on you: This is what 2023 is for. This year is for you. This is your time to become who you have always wanted to be— whatever that may look like for you. So why not try? There is no losing in this situation. Put yourself first and prove to everyone that told you that you couldn’t do it. That you would fail. Make this your year. I believe in you.

We will go deeper into detail on all these subjects as we continue through the semester. Welcome to the New Year guys. Let’s make it a good one. Reach for the stars!

Madison Swafford is on the writing team for Her campus at the University of Kansas chapter! She writes mostly opinionated articles dealing with life and culture. Beyond Her Campus, Madison works at the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence where she utilizes her creative mind to help behavioral children and design lessons for them. She is also getting involved in the University Daily Kansan. Madison is a sophomore at the University of Kansas studying multimedia journalism with a minor in psychology. In Madison's free time, she loves to sing and read. She loves trying new things and hanging out with friends. Her competitive nature makes everything a challenge and she enjoys writing creative stories whenever she has the time.