Four Tips to Help You Keep Your New Years Resolutions

Summary

The article provides four practical tips for successfully maintaining New Year's resolutions by advocating gradual change, flexibility, self-celebration, and resilience in the face of setbacks.

Abstract

As the New Year approaches, many people plan significant lifestyle changes, often setting themselves up for disappointment by attempting drastic transformations overnight. The article suggests a more measured approach to New Year's resolutions, emphasizing the importance of starting small, such as incorporating more vegetables into one's diet, to avoid overwhelming disruptions to daily life. It also advises against strict schedules, recommending flexible routines that accommodate varying energy levels and circumstances. Celebrating small victories is encouraged to foster positive self-talk and reinforce good habits. Lastly, the article normalizes the inevitability of mistakes, suggesting that a positive mindset and practical strategies to recover from setbacks are key to long-term success.

Opinions

Drastic lifestyle changes can lead to emotional dysregulation and a higher likelihood of abandoning resolutions.
Gradual dietary changes are more sustainable and less disruptive than immediate, radical diet overhauls.
Strict schedules may not suit everyone, and flexibility in routines can lead to better adherence to new habits.
Positive reinforcement, such as rewards and affirmations, is crucial for maintaining motivation and self-esteem.
Failure should be viewed as a learning opportunity rather than a reason to give up entirely.
Preparing in advance for the next day can help individuals get back on track after a slip-up.
The article conveys a supportive and encouraging tone, emphasizing that making mistakes is a natural part of the process of achieving goals.

1. Don’t Try to Change Your Entire Life Overnight

The number one way you can set yourself up for failure is by making drastic life changes overnight. If you upheave your regular routine, even if you’re replacing it with something positive, it’s going to cause major disruption in your emotional regulation.

Say you’re goal is to eat healthier for the year. Most people try to ditch everything unhealthy overnight and adopt an entirely new diet. Then when you accidentally eat something you’ve deemed as unhealthy, you might find yourself ready to throw in the towel.

Instead, start small. Make a goal to eat at least one vegetable a day or eat a fruit or vegetable 3 times a week. It’s measurable and attainable. Over time you’ll probably find yourself gravitating towards healthier food as a result. It doesn’t upheave your routine and it’s easy to work into any routine.

You can implement this with just about any goal or resolution.

2. Stop Adhering to a Strict Schedule

Some people do really well with a schedule. Others do not. If you find yourself rebelling against a daily schedule, setting one for the new year probably won’t work either. Give yourself free time. Make multiple routines and then choose the one you feel like doing that day.

For example, if you wish to implement a skincare routine, don’t make your routine 30 minutes long. Make it feasible to complete. Spend one day a week taking a little longer and a little extra care. Then, Make a five-minute routine and a 10-minute routine. Depending on your energy level, you can choose which one you have the emotional energy for. This will set you up for success.

3. Celebrate Yourself Each Time You Keep Your Goal

Make sure you cheer yourself on! Reward yourself with a little extra screen time. Write a positive affirmation on your mirror to remind you of your success. Share your accomplishment with a friend. Journal about it! Whatever it is, get used to talking kindly to yourself, reinforcing positive self-talk.

4. Allow Yourself Room to Mess Up

You will mess up. We perceive failure as a negative thing. Failure isn’t always inherently negative. We will all fail at something. More often than not, we will fail during the process of setting routines.

Have a mantra ready to repeat when you realize you didn’t keep the goal. Saying something to yourself like “It’s okay I missed today. That doesn’t mean I failed. I’m listening to what I need and I will do better tomorrow.”

Take extra steps to help you accomplish your goal the next day. Layout everything you need for the goal. Prepare to set yourself up for success.

It’s okay to make mistakes sometimes.

You’ve got this!