Tips for Achieving Your New Year's Resolution

 

A new year is upon us and with that comes a lot of talk about resolutions, goals, and aspirations. Setting small goals that are realistic and achievable is a great way to build towards making a bigger change and fulfilling that resolution set on January 1^st.

But what exactly is a resolution? It can most simply be defined as the act of determining upon an action, course of action, or procedure (dictionary.com). Basically, it is making the decision to take the necessary steps to reach a goal. Resolutions do not have to be all about making a drastic change, such as losing 50lbs. They can be about working towards something smaller you want to achieve, such as living a healthier lifestyle, saving money for a vacation, meditating for 10 minutes every day, or spending more time with family. 

Betterhealth.gov states that in order to successfully achieve goals, it is important to be realistic, be specific, and to choose a goal that is meaningful and important to you. You don’t want to choose something that is going to add more stress to your life or that is so daunting you feel overwhelmed when planning how you will achieve it. Also remember not to be too hard on yourself!! No one is perfect and everyone has set backs; move at a pace that is right for you and celebrate little victories. So you were exercising every day for a week but then you took a week off…you have not failed! Changes cannot be made overnight. Research has shown that it takes anywhere from 21-66 or more days before a new behavior becomes automatic (huffingtonpost.com). Try keeping a log of how long you have been working towards a goal and if you have a setback, check how many days it has been since you started. Only 23? It’s still early! Commit to the process and stay confident. 

Here in the School Counseling Center we have become determined to reach individual daily step goals. By tracking our steps we have developed a little healthy competition and are able to support each other in reaching our goals. Having other people involved in a goal can help you stay on track and provide you with some cheerleading when you need some extra motivation.

Be well!!