Start exercising...Stop smoking...Get healthy...
With the New Year fast approaching attentions turn to New Year’s resolutions. But are they any good for us?
Research on goal setting suggests we are not very good at setting reasonable goals.
Here's how to avoid a resolution that will end up being a burden...
1. Keep it small
Make resolutions you can actually keep and achieve. Replace absolute statements such as 'eat healthy' with 'swap dessert for...' Focus on the process and steps along the way not the outcome.
2. Pick one
Replacing bad habits takes time. Work towards changing one thing at a time.
3. Get support
Get others involved to strengthen you're resilience and help you stay motivated.
4. Make them positive
If the goal is eat healthier- replace 'stop eating bad food' with 'eat more vegetables'.
5. Don't beat yourself up
Habits are hard to change. Missteps are to be expected, just reset your focus treat that as an opportunity to learn about what to do in the future and get back on track.
Psychologists can offer proven strategies to keep you on track, monitor progress, provide advice on how to adjust your goals, as well as help you change unhealthy behaviours and address underlying concerns.