A majority of Americans, 82%, plan to make at least one New Year’s resolution, according to a 2026 Healthy Minds Poll released by the American Psychiatric Association this month.
Many are focusing their resolutions on physical fitness (44%), financial goals (42%) and mental health (38%).
Bestselling author and podcaster Mel Robbins has her own New Year’s tradition that helps her “change the settings in my mind,” she said on the December 15 episode of “The Mel Robbins Podcast.” It’s a ritual she’s been practicing with her husband for 22 years.
The exercise helps her both look backwards at the last 12 months and look forward toward the new year. “You’re intentionally creating this bridge between where you are right now and the version of yourself in the future that you want to grow into,” she said.
Robbins asks herself six introspective questions:
