TPN staff shares our 2019 resolutions

As you already know, it is officially #NewYearNewMe season. In celebration of 2019’s beginning, the gyms will be flooded with those attempting to get fit in the new year. Others will be attempting to quit a bad habit like smoking or sleeping late. Here at TPN, our staff is excited about the opportunities 2019 has to offer, here are some of the opportunities we plan to pursue.

Sarah Connor // Culture Editor

I have a few resolutions for 2019, one of which is to spend less money on coffee. I have a perfectly capable coffee maker and travel mugs sitting idly in my apartment, but yet, at some point in time during the school day, I almost always find myself sipping on a fresh latte from Starbucks or an iced drink from Dunkin’. My goal is simply to stop doing this, and save myself a big sum of money by making my coffee at home. If I buy a coffee 3-5 days a week, that will likely cost me anything between $15 and $25. I could spend that coffee money on something more useful, like tissues to wipe up my tears from the stresses of the upcoming semester. That is, if I don’t succeed at my other resolution.

Last semester, many tears were shed as I tried to balance a full class schedule, an internship and a demanding job. The stress was unbearable at times, but I got through it successfully. I had a moment when I needed to stop and just break down, and my other 2019 goal is to have fewer of those moments. #NewYearsNoMoreTears

Shahum Ajmal // Layout Editor

For far too long I have put energy into relationships where I was the only one pulling the weight. Coming into a new year, I want to stop overthinking and wondering if I am good enough for people and change my perspective to start wondering if they’re good enough for me.

With clear and positive intentions this year, I want to continue stretching myself without stretching myself too thin. By beginning to make decisions for the betterment of myself, I want to be honest with myself and others to let my voice be heard, because I matter.

Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot // Staff Writer

I didn’t plan to tackle some kind of groundbreaking resolution for 2019. I feel every time I inevitably either give up my resolutions or forget them halfway through the year. Right before the spring term began, I thought long and hard on the things I struggled through the previous year. High on that list is my anxiety. There are large pressures of college and the future beyond. More often than not, I get overwhelmed thinking about how every outcome could go wrong and ruin my life forever. This year, I want to be more mindful of myself and my needs to counteract my anxiety.

When I’m stressed about a large assignment that I don’t think I can manage, I usually self-destruct and spend hours in an anxious funk where nothing gets done. There is value in stepping away and taking a second to breathe. Instead of melting down, I will strive to reassess stressful situations. I’ll sketch and color, take a walk or go out and get a cup of tea. While this seems like something small for a resolution, being able to better manage my anxiety will undoubtedly help me succeed in the future.

Kim Rooney // Copy Chief

By Jan. 1 I usually have a page laid out in my journal of new year’s resolutions. This year, that page is still blank. By no means have I achieved all of my possible goals. I would still like to try new recipes, learn a new crochet stitch and play more than two chords on a guitar. I’d also like to run at least three times a week and read more for pleasure.

But I still can’t bring myself to write them out as a proper list, or even choose one to focus on throughout the year. Maybe it’s a particularly bad case of executive dysfunction (or maybe it’s Maybelline), but more than that, I think I’m still stuck in last year. Because let’s be real — 2018 happened, it was hard and it may take more time to process. This doesn’t feel like a new year yet — sorry Pope Gregor XIII — but there are still plenty of things I’d like to do in 2019. Maybe eventually I’ll start feeling like a new me.