Five Rules for Keeping Those New Year’s ResolutionsSo here we go again with a new set of New Year’s resolutions, or maybe just the same ones we failed to keep from last year and the years before.
An article by contributor K. Aleisha Fetters in U.S. News may help. She cites five rules taken from the book "Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing Your Goals and Resolutions," by Psychology Professor John Norcross of the University of Scranton, as an aid for setting the right resolutions and achieving them. Other therapists are also quoted in his book.
It turns out that the problem with successfully keeping resolutions is not so much the person, but the resolutions themselves.
Rule No. 1: Think Action, Not Results. For example, when you resolve to lose weight – even though you weigh yourself and take measurements throughout the process – what you are tracking isn't the true achievement, but rather a result of those achievements, says psychotherapist Coral Arvon, director of behavioral health and wellness at Pritikin Longevity Center + Spa in Miami.
The true achievement may be in eliminating sodas four days a week, getting more sleep or managing stress levels since those criteria are completely under your control. The weight then comes off as a natural result of those actions.
Rule No. 2: Start Small and Add on Later: "Many resolutions fail because our brains can't handle making large-scale changes at one time," Arvon writes. After all, we can't expect ourselves to be totally different people just because it's a new year. Expecting to completely overhaul your eating plan or quit smoking cold turkey on January 1 is really just setting yourself up for failure, explains NYC-based therapist Paul Hokemeyer. He recommends his clients identify one single resolution, master it and, only then, add in another habit change.
Rule No. 3: Play to Your Strengths
According to one review published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the No. 1 predictor of a person's level of physical activity is confidence in his or her exercise ability. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy that applies to every resolution you can make, Norcross adds, explaining that to make lasting changes, people need to choose goals they feel are attainable. Once they succeed, they get an additional confidence boost that allows them to reach new, higher goals.
Rule No. 4: Consider Your "Why"
When both choosing and working toward a resolution, it's important to consider why you want to make that change and why achieving your goal is worth any frustration or difficulty. "Change is hard," Hokemeyer says. "That's why propelling away from discomfort is easier than moving toward a fantasy goal." For instance, most people will find a diagnosis of heart disease as a more motivating reason to exercise than the desire to participate in an Ironman triathlon.
So think long and hard about why you really, deep down, want to make a change in the new year. Once you've identified it, put a reminder on your phone, refrigerator or anywhere else that will help you keep your true motivation at the forefront of your mind.
Rule No. 5: Be Patient
You've probably heard that it takes about 21 days to form a habit. Unfortunately, the true number is much higher.
How long does it really take to cement a healthy lifestyle? According to a study from the University College London in which researchers examined the habits of 96 people, it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days, with 66 being the average, for a new habit to stick. So give yourself a couple of months to work on mastering one healthy habit before adding another to your to-do list, and don't be discouraged if you need even more time, Arvon says. Slow results are often the most sustainable over the long term.
