The annual time has come; sit down at a desk or dining table and write out just a few aspirations or goals. This year is one that many have been eagerly waiting to end, hoping for a refreshing start in 2021. A year the world dreaded within its first few weeks consisting of Australian wildfires and tightening tensions between the United States and Iran. December provides a time for introspection, an usher from one year to the next; a nice pad provided by the holiday season and its breaks from work or school. While still in distance learning at Bellarmine Preparatory School, some may find it difficult to work up enough energy to end the year and semester to a close. By forming standards and goals, New Year’s resolutions provide many with a hope that once Jan. 1 comes, so does the new, healthy lifestyle.

Over the years the purpose of these resolutions have been lost in translation, seen as a time to form good habits just to break them not three weeks in. Nowadays. most resolutions end in flames as a statement of goal turns into inaction. Perhaps there is more to it than just an empty statement as some see resolutions as a recognition of bad habits mixed with the motivation to do better. Senior Michael Monroe believes, “they are healthy because even if you don’t reach your goal if you are able to get close to creating a habit, or better yet form one, then it is a success even if you fall short of your end goal.”

It is quite interesting to say the least, expressing the desire for a change of lifestyle goes along quite well with the ambition of returning to in person learning. As students’ brains around the country waste away as they putter through the limbo that is distance learning, hope and good habits are key.

How often do you personally find your focus slipping away from Zoom to look at something else, such as a phone? What about finding a proper working area like an office, or do you prefer to lounge in the comfort of a bed or couch? If you seek to break these habits, look to resolutions as a start.

Junior Austin Douglas stated, “New Year’s Resolutions can be an excellent way to help you achieve your goals and start new. Particularly, this year it will be great to have a clean slate.”

Especially with Bellarmine returning to 25% capacity in January, it might pay off to stop going to bed as late as you have been. In fact, normalized sleeping patterns can regulate your body’s internal clock and provide you with the right amount of sleep per night. It might also help to regulate the duration and frequency of mid-afternoon naps; napping just two to three times a week between 30 and 90 minutes should keep the body well rested in these busy times.

With the holiday season and winter break here, what comes with it is the end of a monumental year that will surely go down in history. Douglas noted that, “2020 has been a great learning experience and fostered a lot of self development and growth. It has primarily taught me to be more grateful, especially for my loved ones.” Well over 300,000 American lives have been lost due to the relaying Coronavirus pandemic, their lives and the sacrificed months health care workers put in should all be celebrated. Time and time again the world has seen tragedy after catastrophe, but thankfully the world never sleeps and 2021 is expected to be bigger, and hopefully much better, than the worst year in history’s recent memory.