New Year, New Goals

Blog by Norma 

The new year has arrived, and with it, the opportunity to challenge ourselves to improve through our New Year's resolutions. Setting resolutions isn't about creating drastic changes; instead, it is about making positive small changes that can impact our overall behavior. Making our resolutions realistic can help us achieve them and incorporate healthy behavior into our daily routines. 

Meeting our resolutions takes time and effort. While we have good intentions and the motivation to set goals, following through is harder said than done. How can we set ourselves up for success so that meeting our resolutions doesn't add to the challenge? 

1. Start Small: The notion of a new year and its endless opportunities can have us thinking BIG. While there is nothing wrong with setting significant goals, focusing on smaller actions towards larger goals can make our resolutions more attainable. Change requires time, and by starting small, we create steps that lead us to our larger goal. 

2. Focus on One Goal at a Time: Similar to how large goals can overwhelm us, so can many goals. It can be overwhelming to change several behaviors; instead, gear your resolution toward one behavior at a time.

3. Share your Resolutions: Sharing our goals for the new year can help us find support in friends, family, coworkers, and strangers. By sharing our resolutions, we make achieving said resolutions less intimidating. In addition, you can find a support group or join a workout group/exercise class, etc, to help keep you accountable and enhance your experience towards meeting your goals. 

4. Be King to Yourself: We are all human, and our journeys are imperfect. While we all wish meeting our resolutions was as simple as coming up with our goals, the journey towards achieving them is often full of ups and downs. Don't let the missteps or setbacks stop you from achieving your resolutions. Focus on recovering from mistakes instead of dwelling on them. 

5. Ask for Help: If your resolution or meeting your goals is adding unnecessary stress to your life, reach out to a professional. They can offer advice and strategies to make goals attainable and help change unhealthy behaviors. 

Your resolutions shouldn't add extra stress to your life. Setting realistic resolutions allows you to set yourself and your new year up for success.