With a New Year comes new beginnings, new journeys, and most commonly, New Year’s resolutions, but sometimes it’s hard to stick to these resolutions. Maybe we get bogged down by stress and work and revert to unhealthy habits because it may comfort you while enduring those stressful times. Never fear though cause there are numerous ways for you to get back on the resolution grind.
Start when you’re ready: Sticking to a New Year's resolution can be difficult, frustrating, and stressful; especially when the resolution means undergoing a whole lifestyle change. That’s why it is heavily emphasized to start when you’re ready, both mentally and physically. Think about it this way. When you’re finally coming down from the stress of the holidays, staying focused on tasks is still hard to do. Creating a whole new life-changing goal can be even more hectic. If you aren’t mentally prepared to change, you won’t be receptive to said changes, and drawbacks will have a higher possibility of occurring. So please take your time with your resolution and start when you’re ready.
Choose a single goal: We’ve been told your mental headspace can affect how well you stay on track with your resolution but it's also important to stick to a single goal. This helps you stay better focused on whatever that goal may be. You don’t want your mind clogged up with multiple steps to achieve multiple goals all at once. This could cause burnout or a complete drop of your resolution as a whole.
Take time to plan out this goal: With every goal you want to reach, comes a well-thought-out plan to achieve it! Having a step-by-step plan makes sticking to your resolution easier and causes way less stress than say going “cold turkey”. For example, if your resolution is to lose weight, a very common resolution, your first step would be smaller portions of your favorite foods or slowly weaning yourself off sugary or fried foods. Whatever that goal may be, just know you don’t have to go cold turkey. Just take the steps that are most comfortable for you.
Notice when you’re straying away: Take note of when those bad habits you’re trying to stay away from, start creeping their way back into your life. Find out what makes you stray away, is it not enough discipline in sticking to your routine, or maybe is it pressure from friends and family? Maybe you just don’t have the time to focus on this goal. To that, I’d say refer back to our first point. For the rest, it is on you to create a better environment for yourself or self-discipline to make sure to stay on track.
Change takes time and isn't linear: This is the easiest concept to understand the most difficult to accept. Change takes time. Though it is possible, easily adapting to change can be a pain but that’s all part of the process. Don’t feel bad if you encounter drawbacks. Take the time you need and get back on track when you’re ready.
Support groups are a huge benefit: Do you know how we touched on families and friends sometimes being bad influences in your life? Well, this is where support groups come into play. Think about it. If you’re in a group with similar goals, you’re more likely to stick to these goals with the help of mutual support. That group understands the struggles of changing and will give you helpful tips and methods to stay on track.
Now, this isn’t to say your family and friends can’t be support groups they can be more influential due to the connection that’s been built. But don’t feel hesitant to reach out to other communities with the same goal as you. The more support, the better.
Track your progress: Most importantly, track your progress. After sleepless nights, stressful days, or just an annoyance of not having your favorite foods, recognize how far you’ve come. Those small reminders can give you the biggest confidence boost you need to keep going. It’s another way of saying, “Look how far I’ve come, and I can go much farther!”
There are so many different ways to stick to your News Years Resolution. Some ways not listed included journaling your thoughts and picking a goal achievable. If anything, I want you to remember that a resolution doesn’t have to start on the new year it can start in one week or three weeks, maybe next month. Don’t feel constrained to start on day one. To repeat a reoccurring point, start when you’re ready and everything else will fall into place.
