The start of the new year brings new year’s resolutions and hopes of accomplishments that can be achieved in the new year. As a society, we see this passing of time as a new opportunity to achieve something new and follow a dream that has been on hold.

Studies have shown that people tend to make new year’s resolutions that are too far out of reach to actually be achieved in the new year. The Statistic Brain Research Institute completed a study in 2013 that showed that only 8% of people actually achieve the goals they set at the beginning of the new year.

For Webb students, the new year also brings the start of the second semester. Students are truly starting off the year with a clean slate with new opportunities to excel and follow through with their goals.

Social psychologist Roy Baumeister, author of Willpower, Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, said, “As for a starter resolution, we recommend you begin with something small and doable. Pick a small positive change that you’d like to make in your life.”

With this piece of wisdom in mind, there are easy and approachable ways to start off the semester and the year with a positive mindset. Instead of creating huge and unattainable goals for the new year, here are four easy ways to ensure a happy and healthy second semester in 2019.

• Take care of yourself. When things get crazy in our lives, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself and your basic needs. Make healthy choices: eat nutritious foods, drink water (eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day is the recommended amount), and get as much sleep as possible (teenagers should get between 8-10 hours of sleep a night).

• Manage your stress. Everyone stresses out over different things for different reasons, but whether the issue is small or large, this pressure is mentally unhealthy. People handle their stress differently, but slowing and watching your breathing is always important. If you breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for seven, and breathe out for eight seconds. This method is supposed to be one of the best ways to relax.

• Manage your workload. A fresh start to the semester is the perfect time to follow through with finishing work the night it is assigned. Of course, towards the end of the year, work piles up and things can get stressful, but finding when and where you focus best on your work will help things go smoothly. Try to find a location where you can focus best, and try to find when you are most alert. Some people work better in the morning before school, while others work better at night. Either way, finding what works best for you will make trudging through long hours of studying a lot easier.

• Find an outlet. Whether it is listening to music, painting, or running, when things get stressful it is important to pause and take a moment to do something that makes us happy. It can be something as simple as taking a few minutes to listen to your favorite song. Find a way to express and calm yourself to take some time away from the craziness.

Everyone has their own ways to manage stress and follow a happy and healthy lifestyle. Webb life can be crazy, and it is important to stop and think about what is important. Find a schedule that works best for you to be your best self in the new year.