Already Broken Your New Year's Resolution? A Psychologist On Why It May Actually Be a Good Thing

If you're reading this knowing you've already fallen off track with your New Year's resolution, me too. The gym streak has slipped. The morning routine hasn’t materialised. The vow to drink less, move more or become a "new version" of ourselves feels strangely heavy for something that was supposed to feel hopeful.

If that sounds familiar, you’re far from alone. In fact, breaking New Year's resolutions early is so common that it’s almost predictable. A survey of more than 800 million people by fitness-tracking app Strava found that most New Year fitness goals are abandoned by January 9th - a date commonly referred to as ‘Quitter’s Day’. Meanwhile, research from Loughborough University suggests that while around two-thirds of people set New Year resolutions, fewer than 10% successfully maintain them long-term, often because goals are overly ambitious, rigid or poorly aligned with real life.

So if you have already ‘failed’, here’s the good news: psychologists and psychiatrists say that breaking a resolution isn’t a personal flaw. In many cases, it’s a necessary and informative part of sustainable change.

“New Year resolutions tend to assume we’re fully ready for action, when many people are actually still experimenting with what’s realistic,” explains Dr Ravi Gill, a practitioner psychologist. Rather than seeing early slip-ups as proof of failure, experts suggest reframing them as feedback - information that can help you set goals that actually work for you, not against you.

Below, psychologists and psychiatrists explain why New Year resolutions so often unravel, why they aren’t all bad, and how to reset your goals without guilt - even if January hasn’t gone to plan.

Whilst you're here, if you have every intention to make 2026 your healthiest and happiest year yet, read these thirteen lessons from world-renowned experts. Don't sleep on our 2026 wellness trends report, or explainers on goal setting and mental endurance, while you're at it.

90% of people quit their New Year resolutions by January. Sound familiar? Read on.

Why is it so common to break New Year resolutions?

We're all familiar with the phrase ‘New Year, New Me’. According to Dr Gill, this mindset sets an unrealistic expectation of overnight transformation. “The phrase implies a sudden, total reinvention, as if change happens cleanly at midnight,” she says. “This kind of all-or-nothing thinking ignores how human behaviour actually works.”

Behaviour change, she explains, is shaped by habit, nervous system capacity, identity and life circumstances, not just motivation alone. When goals are rigid, setbacks become emotionally charged. Miss a workout or deviate from the plan, and shame often follows, quickly turning into harsh self-criticism or giving up entirely.

Psychological research backs this up. The Transtheoretical Model of behaviour change - also known as the Stages of Change - shows that progress is cyclical rather than linear. People move through motivation, action, lapse and recommitment multiple times. Yet New Year resolutions often assume we’re permanently in ‘action mode’, leaving no room for fluctuation.

Dr Catherine Carney, a psychiatrist and addiction expert at Delamere Health, agrees. “Humans are creatures of habit, and habits take time to change,” she says. “Sweeping changes can be overwhelming or simply too difficult to maintain. Baby steps are easier than revolutionising your life.”

Add in social media - where discipline is often equated with worth, and it’s easy to see why slipping up feels personal, even when it’s statistically normal.

Are there any positives to setting New Year resolutions?

Despite their reputation, New Year's resolutions aren’t inherently bad. According to Dr Samir Shah, a consultant psychiatrist and medical director at Priory Hospital Altrincham, they can still serve an important purpose. “High-expectation resolutions can be motivating because they show us what we care about,” he explains. “They highlight our values and ambitions.”

The issue arises when goals become perfectionistic or inflexible. “When expectations are too high, they increase pressure and lead to disappointment rather than growth,” Shah says. Ambition works best, he adds, when paired with kindness, adaptability and realism.

Dr Gill echoes this sentiment, emphasising that sustainable growth doesn’t require becoming someone new. “A healthier reframe might be ‘new year, small shifts’ or ‘same me, just learning and evolving’,” she says. “Growth comes from working with who you already are, not against them.”

In other words, resolutions can be useful as long as they’re treated as guides, not ultimatums.

Feeling guilty about breaking your New Year resolution? Here’s what an expert wants you to know

If there’s one emotion that dominates early January, it’s guilt. Dr Gill says many of her clients report anger towards themselves when resolutions slip -not because of the goal itself, but because of the belief that they “should be better by now”.

“That anger often masks disappointment, grief or fear of never getting it right,” he explains. When progress doesn’t match expectations, self-punishment takes over, even though lapses are a normal part of change.

Dr Shah encourages reframing guilt entirely. “Falling off track is not failure - it’s feedback,” he says. Treating the New Year as a continual reset, rather than a test you pass or fail, allows you to return to your intentions with curiosity rather than criticism.

Dr Carney agrees, stressing that resolutions should never become a measure of self-worth. “You are enough just as you are,” she says. “A resolution should not be something you rely on to feel worthy or happy. Find goals that genuinely bring you joy, not ones that make you conform to social norms.”

Ultimately, experts agree that compassion - not discipline - is what allows people to keep going.

How to realistically set New Year goals and stick to them, according to the experts

If January has already unravelled, experts suggest ‘refreezing’ your goals rather than abandoning them altogether. According to Dr Gill, the first step is normalising the lapse. “A lapse is not a relapse,” she says. “It’s a pause, not proof you can’t change.”

Next, get curious. Ask what made the goal hard to sustain. Was it too big, too fast or poorly timed? Shrinking the goal - a shorter run, fewer workouts, a gentler habit - can make it more compatible with your current energy and life demands.

Dr Carney recommends sticking to one or two meaningful goals at a time. “Be reasonable,” she says. “Don’t go from being sedentary to exercising for two hours a day. Changes take time, and new habits take a while to form.”

Enjoyment also matters more than we think. “You’re more likely to stick to something that gives positive feedback,” she explains. “Don’t aim to run a marathon if you love yoga. Don’t give up Cheddar cheese if it makes you miserable.”

Finally, Dr Shah reminds us that progress isn’t about a perfect start on the first day of the year. “The most effective resolutions are flexible, adaptable and sustainable,” he says. “Small, consistent changes tend to create the biggest long-term impact.”

So if your resolution has already cracked, consider this permission to reset -gently. Breaking a New Year's resolution doesn’t mean you lack discipline. It means you’re human. And learning how to restart, without shame, may be the most meaningful resolution of all.

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