ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was fun while it lasted but now it’s back to real life.

It feels like the holidays are over, at least many of us may have thought that when we woke up Monday morning in a brand new year.

After weeks of tamales, biscochitos and maybe some holiday cocktails, a lot of us are eager to turn a new leaf in the New Year with goals and resolutions.

It can be hard. That is why clinical counselor Kelcie Jimenez reassured everyone fails at some point. Ultimately, it’s about what you do with your setback and being kind to yourself.

“There’s a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves, especially after the holidays. It’s a lot for people. You know, they’re overwhelmed, burnt out from the holidays and January rolls around. It’s like, ‘Oh, we’re supposed to have these big New Year’s goals and resolutions and be these better versions of ourselves,'” Jimenez said.

Jimenez adds you should take it slow. Setting goals and taking things month by month or even week by week goes a long way.

“What if we started with, ‘Hey I’m going to work out one day a week, maybe for 20 minutes, and then work our way slowly up after that’? Then, it becomes more of a habit and consistent rather than, “Oh my gosh! It’s January 1 and I have to go to the gym five times this week!,” she said.

Jimenez adds you should set your resolutions based on what you want to achieve, not what you feel like you should do. That will make the resolution last longer, she says.

Identify the reason behind your resolution too. Coming back to that can help when motivation disappears.

“Do you actually want to do those goals? What’s the motivations behind doing them? I want to start helping, maybe just define the why of their goals first. And I think you can do a plan of action after that,” Jimenez said.

If you fail, like Jimenez said, get back up and try again. You don’t need to be hard on yourself.

“Unless your first failure was your last failure, you’re not failing, and I really like that. As long as you keep trying and doing it and staying consistent, you’re not going to fail. Even if you fail, I think it’s still a lesson on how to improve,” she said.

Jimenez also suggests taking time to reflect on the past year. We’re all in a hurry to get those resolutions started. However, thinking about all the things we went through in the last year, and came out the other side of, can lead us into 2024 with a sense of accomplishment.

For example, we may not have lost that 20 lbs. or learned that language. However, we did achieve a lot.

Just putting one foot in front of the other is something to commend yourself for.