To Make A New Year’s Resolution or Not?
Congratulations! We made it to 2021!
2020 has been a difficult year for many people! We are in a new year. Last week, we talked about a year in review and setting some intentions for the year to come. And now we can decide if we want to have a new year’s resolution or not.
Statistically speaking, it is not likely that if you set a new year’s resolution you are going to stick with it long term. Think of the number of people who join the gym in January and then stop in February or March. It’s easy to say things like I am going to eat healthier and lose weight. Heck, the first issue of People Magazine every year is stories of people who lose 100 pounds or more and how they did it. We are ingrained to believe we are supposed to make drastic changes when the new year comes.
Instead of creating unrealistic goals for yourself, what if this week, you focused on small changes you can make. Whether you reflected on the previous year (A Year in Reflection article) or not, you can start with small changes and build from there.
- So start with one important thing you want to change. Say you want to get a promotion. Start by being on time to work everyday, or speak to your manager about what you will need to accomplish to get a promotion.
- You want to be healthier. Instead of cutting all sugar, caffeine and bad things out at once. Start by reducing from 4 cups of coffee a day to 3. Then down to 2 and one and add in a cup of green tea instead. Slow and steady changes are more long lasting.
- You want to get along better with your spouse. Make a date night. Start with complimenting your partner every day. What else can you think of? These small things can really add up.
You can also make a vision board of what you want to see for the new year. If you are creative and want to cut out pictures from magazines or make one on Pinterest you are welcome to. If you aren’t interested in that then putting down words and images that represent where you would like to go is also helpful. You can come back to it whenever you want to get inspiration.
I think we can all agree that we are glad to see 2020 go and the beginning of a year can bring excitement and a fresh start. How can you use this time to focus on what is important and working in your life?
The rest of this month our blogs will be focused on self improvement and ways we can make small goals, creating small changes in our lives that are long lasting and achievable.
Tina Kinnan, MRC, LCMHC
Owner | Mental Health Therapist
