New Year’s resolutions are often a big part of our plans as we look forward to a prosperous future ahead, but while many people set these goals, very few master the art of sticking to them.
For many of us, New Year’s resolutions act as a way for us to benefit positively through a means of self-improvement. This often means letting go of bad habits, such as careless eating, lack of exercise, and not prioritising opportunities for personal growth. In most instances, these have been detrimental to our growth and can simply be changed through a means of setting plans in place for how you plan to do things differently with the beginning of the new year.
According to the health and wellness publication, Very Well Mind, there is, however, a large percentage of people who fail to keep to these desired goals – and the reasons for it vary from one person to another.
Among these are the fact that some set unrealistic goals, not having a clear vision of why you have those plans in place, and also not entirely being ready for change.
According to Clinical Psychologist Terri Bly, there are five stages people go through before change actually takes place. These are pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.
While setting one’s resolutions often takes place in the action stage, many fail to uphold them when it comes to determining how to maintain them, which means that they struggle in the maintenance stage.
To assist with this, Reach Out, a publication specialising in mental health among youth recommends the following tips to help you stay committed to your resolutions.
- Remember the reason why you made the resolution
- Be realistic
- Frame your resolution positively
- Challenge your assumptions
- Prepare for obstacles
- Team up with a mate
- Create an action plan
- Make it fun
- Congratulate yourself
Also see: New year, same you: why a calendar change doesn’t change you.
