Top Tips for New Year’s Resolutions
2020 was a turbulent and uncertain year, with mental health cases on the rise directly attributed to the social and economic impacts of the pandemic: namely increases in anxiety and depression. We’ve spent this year constantly adapting, in and out of lockdown with ever-shifting restrictions. Many people feel energetic for 2021, with hopes it will fulfil all those dreams that had been planned out, then put on hold, as the pandemic tightened its grip on our lives. So, we’ve put together some Top Tips for New Year’s Resolutions
Despite the renewed hope each year (and this year like no other!) research shows only about 12% of people stick to their New Year’s Resolutions, with this year posing an even gloomier outlook due to all the fluctuating restrictions. So here are our top tips — just for you — for how to make New Year’s Resolutions that really stick.
- Keep your goals realistic
A 2014 study found 35% of participants who didn’t stick with their New Year’s Resolutions admitted to having unrealistic goals. It’s far more achievable, fulfilling and motivating to set small, specific, realistic and measurable goals (which might be broken down parts of a bigger aim) than one big all-or-nothing dream with no real roadmap how to get there. The more small steps we take, the more evidence we build up to show we CAN achieve our bigger dreams.
2. Focus on the journey, not just the destination
Instead of just looking at how well you achieve your resolutions, look at what you gain and learn in the process. By simply judging our success on how well we achieve the end goal (the destination), we miss out on the all-important things in between (the journey): the effort we put in, the self-awareness we gain and skills we master. It also leaves room for mistakes, which are essential parts of our self-growth. We can’t move forward unless we make mistakes and overcome hurdles. By just focussing on achieving an end goal, our fixation with not-failing prevents us taking risks that will help us.
Look at the resolution and think, what can I learn from this?
If I resolved to cut out alcohol for January and only judged my success by my performance, I’d just beat myself up if I ended up reaching for a glass during a particularly stressful day at work….With this kind of all-or-nothing thinking one is more likely catastrophise and give up, feeling all the more powerless and believing we’ve ‘failed.’
If, instead, I focussed on learning more about myself and WHY I drank, and how I could reduce my alcohol intake to help both my liver and my soul, I’d be able to integrate much longer term lifestyle changes.
Remember as well…we’re drawn to what’s not allowed, so banning anything only makes us want it more! ‘I’m going to reduce my alcohol intake’ is better than ‘I’m going to cut out alcohol.’ ‘I’m going to eat more healthily’ is better than completely cutting out ‘naughty’ foods!!
3. BE KIND
Which leads us onto the next point…cut yourself some slack, we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Whatever you do, don’t berate yourself — the added pressure of an unkind inner voice adds NO value to your life, it only stops you being happy and flourishing (even if it feels like you’re doing it to make yourself ACHIEVE MORE and DO BETTER — it actually does the opposite!)
4. Ask WHY
A 2015 BUPA survey found the most common reasons people quit their New Year’s Resolutions were a lack of motivation and a lack of commitment. How many times have you planned to do something, stuck to it for a week with all the motivation of an ultramarathon runner, but then life just slowly got in the way…
Really getting to the nuts and bolts of WHY you want to do something is essential…and doing it because your partner wants you to is NOT a good enough reason!!
This is simple in some cases: making dietary changes is easier when the doctor tells us it’s life-or-death (why? because I will be risking my health if I don’t) Quitting smoking is a no-brainer when you want to have a baby, even if you’ve been a pack-a-day for years (why? Because I will be risking my baby’s health if I don’t). These ‘why’s’ are twofold: they’re emotionally-loaded, and there is overwhelming evidence to do them vs not.
So challenge your Resolutions with a WHY — provide evidence to back up why you should do them, and really visualise the emotional benefits. If the excitement you feel at being able to run a 10k outweighs the emotional hit of watching Netflix, you’ll be far more incentivised to do it. If you’ve done The Thrive Programme you’ll know that emotions aren’t ‘real’ and they’re not fixed, meaning we can fairly simply take control and train our brain to help us out here.
5. Learn to thrive!
The Thrive Programme is a mental health training programme like no other — it’s all about helping you overcome what’s holding you back so you can reach your goals; whether you want to overcome a debilitating mental health condition or stand in front of a crowd without fear. The most effective way to get what you want from life is with strong mental health. Watch some of our amazing testimonials to see people who have done just that, and get in touch to get started!
References
Comres (2015). BUPA New Year Resolution Survey. Available at: https://comresglobal.com/polls/bupa-new-year-resolution-survey/ (Accessed 27 Dec 2020)
Hutchison, M. (2014). ‘Bunch of failures or just optimistic? finder.com.au New Year’s Resolution Study shows New Year novelty fizzles fast’, finder.com.au, 29 Dec. Available at: http://www.finder.com.au/press-release-bunch-of-failures-or-just-optimistic-finder-com-au-new-years-resolution-study-shows-new-year-novelty-fizzles-fast (Accessed 27 Dec 2020)
Sample, I. (2020). ‘Covid poses ‘greatest threat to mental health since second world war’, The Guardian, 27 Dec. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/27/covid-poses-greatest-threat-to-mental-health-since-second-world-war (Accessed: 27 Dec 2020).