Forget New Year's resolutions, focus on spring renewal instead

Read more. Spend more time with family. Lose weight. Save money. Quit smoking. Learn something new. Drink less. Exercise more. Eat healthily ... you get the picture.

Yes, it's that time of the year again, when many people make New Year's resolutions and then spend weeks wrestling with their consciences before giving up on them entirely.

There has been a lot of talk circulating on social media recently about how doctors around the world are now warning their patients against making hollow promises this year.

Contrary to previous medical advice, this more holistic approach this time round seems to center on preserving mental health rather than placing the focus on physical well-being.

It seems the psychological impact of setting ourselves up to fail every year has been taking its toll, and is an unwanted stress at a time of year we all traditionally like to wind down.

And this new approach appears to be best summed up by Tim Bono, an expert on mental well-being at Washington University in St. Louis in the United States, who argues that "January is the hardest month of the year to change behaviors".

"We need to disabuse ourselves of the idea that Jan 1 is the best time to make resolutions," Bono adds. "The optimal time for resolutions is spring or summer."

The winter weather in the northern hemisphere can also mean people are more likely to stay at home, missing out on the social support systems that help them stay on top of their goals.

Bono suggests that since we don't usually have much planned in the early months of the year, there's less to look forward to, and our spirits and levels of motivation are generally lower.

The main drawback to seeing through resolutions may in fact be due to the short winter days themselves, as many studies examining the affects of sunlight on mood suggest.

"We tend to underestimate just how much sunlight has an impact on us," Bono adds. "The early days of January are among the shortest of the entire year."

So why then do we add to the blight of harsh weather, a lack of sunlight and seasonal illness－when they are all clearly forces working against even the most motivated among us?

On the other hand, spring has always been the perfect time for self-renewal, as hibernating animals awaken, the earth thaws and fresh rains trigger new growth in the natural world.

So why don't we set our aspirations in time with the seasons, and set some more attainable goals at a time of the year that's naturally more suited to making major life changes?

Both New Year and Spring Festival are traditionally a time to eat, drink and be merry, so why burden the festive season with the baggage of hollow statements and unattainable goals?

And here in China, this new approach may be all the more welcome with Chinese New Year falling in late January in 2020 rather than in early February as it did last year.

So I for one will be happy to follow the doctor's orders and look forward to celebrating two New Years within the space of a month－it's an enjoyable quirk of living in China, after all.

Contact the writer at calum@chinadaily.com.cn