Happy 2017! Congratulations, you have successfully made it through the train wreck of 2016. A new year means 365 more opportunities to make it a year worth remembering. Besides all of the cliché “new year, new me” business, there really is something particularly promising and inspiring about a fresh start. Sometimes, we all need a physically clean slate to release the past and start inching towards the best possible version of us.

So, yes- I am vehemently pro-new year’s resolutions. All of the basic “work out more!” and “try new hobbies!” are too broad to actually be put into action. Resolutions that succeed should be specific and easy alterations to your daily habits that pile up to become a bigger lifestyle change. Switch things up with these unique resolutions.

The following methods are tried and true from yours truly, a student just like you. You’re welcome in advance.

1. Drink more water 

This is both the easiest accomplished resolution and the most life changing. Drink more than you think is enough. Everything from acne to exhaustion is visibly improved with the right amount of hydration. If you’re someone who suffers from winter dryness, especially, drinking the recommended 8 cups a day helps so much with skin care, chapped lips, and dry eyes.

Instead of just making the general promise to drink more water, put a plan in action! I recommend marking a travel thermos with lines on the side indicating different times of the day. Fill it up in the morning to carry around all day. Make it a goal to drink all of the water up to the line by the designated time. Seeing these tangible milestones makes drinking water a more regular routine that will ensure healthy hydration. For an added boost, throw in some lemon or mint to help detoxify target areas of the body. I promise you will see substantial results!

2. Compliment a day

Kindness should be an everyday goal. Being a generally nice person is definitely not difficult or costly, but it pays off for everybody involved. I am deeming 2017 as the year for kindness to both others and oneself. It’s easy to forget that at the end of the day, we are our own best friends; we should treat ourselves with the admiration and gratitude that we would treat our best friend from kindergarten. Love yourself more in 2017.

Again, that’s a very broad and difficult goal because no one can suddenly wake up on January 2nd loving every feature. Even the most confident person can find something to criticize, so it’s important to take this one in small bites. Everyday, give at least one compliment to others and one to yourself. Make them genuine and unique. Personally, the best compliments aren’t material. Confidence is a fake-it-until-you-make-it game; you keep playing until you wake up and genuinely see all of the irreplaceable and great aspects about yourself and others.

3. Dress yourself confidently 

A really freeing reality comes with the realization that nobody is nitpicking your image nearly as much as you are to yourself. Nobody is going to make a judgment worth hearing about the flaw you see in the mirror because nobody will be looking for it. Nobody sees that you’re wearing two different colors of black. Nobody cares that you have one flyaway piece of curly hair. Make 2017 the year you dress for yourself to look the way you really want to look. Recognize that nobody else should have a say in whether or not you look great that day.

Whether that means sweatpants and a sweatshirt or a prom dress, dress how you want to look! Your image is entirely your own prerogative! If you find that the reason that keeps you from wearing something you want begins with the phrase, “What if someone sees this and thinks…”, then scratch it. Make the active decision to walk out the door. Even if you spend the whole day in discomfort, know that you have made the first move in the fake-it-until-you-make-it confidence game. It will get easier.

4. Sleep schedule

What surprised me the most about being a healthy seventeen-year-old was realizing that I am really not able to stay up to the hours I was once able to. I could once easily function on four hours of sleep and still manage through the day. Now, I start clocking out before the 2AM mark. Even if you are reading this and thinking, “Right, but that’s totally not me. I can stay up whenever I want and still be alright,” you could still benefit from a more regular sleep schedule.

Even if you don’t see it, not getting enough sleep piles up into really noticeable changes. Besides under-eye bags and exhaustion, lack of sleep causes weight gain, emotional instability, stress, and many other small changes that you attribute as normal. Even adjusting my sleep schedule by an hour led to major changes in my skin and happiness.

Be realistic; going to sleep at 9PM every night on a high schooler’s schedule is almost impossible. Instead, just set a reasonable goal, like 11PM-12AM, and make the effort to abide by it. Don’t watch the extra Netflix episode if it means sleeping past this time. Do what you have to do, but don’t stay up for no reason. Sleeping early can seem lame, especially if it means you have to work sooner, but you’ll thank yourself when you look and feel healthier.

5. Social Media Restraint

I’m definitely not one to say that all social media is toxic and draining. In fact, I think social media is a great way to stay connected, get updated, and be expressive. What I do think is toxic is how people use social media as a way to measure their own self-worth. Everyone has fallen victim to it: only posting on Instagram at the optimal posting time in order to garner as many likes as possible. Repeatedly watching your own Snapchat story to see if that one person has seen it, too. Flipping back and forth between two identical photos to see which will get the most favorites. As corny as it sounds, having fewer likes on a picture does not make you any less valuable. It’s definitely unhealthy to depend so much on other people to feel good about yourself.

By no means am I saying to use social media less. Instead, use social media in a better way. If you like a photo of yourself, post it immediately! You don’t need to find the flaws because no one will be looking for them. Even if they are, who cares? If you want to share some fun time with friends, go ahead and post it on your story. There’s no need to overthink things or consider what other people will think. Social media should be a reflection of the best version you can make of yourself: a process that is 100% you alone.

All in all, 2016 was rough, which should give us all the incentive needed to make 2017 extra amazing. It can be filled with growth, laughter, and genuine confidence, but that’s entirely up to you. Make the effort and you will see the results. For some inspiration for the rest of this year, I leave you with this:

“Need a new years resolution? Consider this: someday, time travel might be a thing. Make 2017 the year you’ll want to travel back to.” –@tyleroakley