Mental Health And Healthy Food Rule The New Year Resolutions Among Punekars

New Year comes with a lot of hope and positivity. The celebration, which includes leaving behind the things of the last year, is never complete without making a New Year resolution that will give direction to the coming year.

People make resolutions to take care of their health, save money, learn new things, or build a new life, and the people of Pune are no exception. We spoke with a bunch of Punekars who have decided on certain things as their New Year resolutions for the coming year. In 2025, many residents have decided to make smaller changes, including focusing on mental and physical health.

Dr Nilesh Makhare (34), a resident of Punawale and a dentist by profession, said, “This year, my resolution is to work on my mental, physical, and emotional well-being. I’m a spiritual person, and for the past 10 years, I have been practicing sadhana and meditation, but still, there’s always room for learning new things. I want to work on my physical fitness, for which I go for jogging, but this New Year, I want to be consistent about it. I do Surya Namaskar and meditation, and in the coming year, I want to balance that as well. Because at this stage, I have realized everything is connected to your mental health, how you feel about yourself and the people around you. Once your mental health is sorted, everything eventually falls into place.”

Dr Nilesh Makhare |

Manish Pole, a yoga instructor and a life coach, said, “My New Year resolution is to take out more time to practice meditation and sadhana, for myself and to share these practices with people so that they are able to use it. I give them silent retreats like making them do yoga in the Himalayas, which helps them grow, be in a good space, and create a positive environment around them. The interesting thing to note here is that this year, a lot of people have already enrolled for yoga. They want to start and continue with something so sound and profound as yoga. I believe meditation and yoga without quasi-spiritual beliefs, and people resonate with that.”

Manish Pole |

Priti Kamble, a house help, 29, said, “I got a ukulele as a birthday gift this year, and I want to learn music and the instrument very seriously, make more singing videos for Instagram, and be healthy. I have even decided to teach good things to my child.”

Priti Kamble |

Mayuri Jadhav, 27, said, “I am going to work more on my mental health and physical health, as both are interdependent on each other. Healthy food and a healthy lifestyle will be my new mantra for this upcoming year.”

Mayuri Jadhav |

Dr Shrikant Pawar, Assistant Professor at Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health, Pashan Panchwati, said, “Earlier, people’s New Year resolutions focused mainly on physical fitness, but there was zero awareness about mental health. This New Year, we have planned to increase the promotion and prevention activities regarding mental health. I aim to sensitize people to come forward and improve their mental health.”