Plan ahead to succeed in keeping New Year resolutions

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Life Desk :
Common New Year resolutions may include losing weight, following exercise, eating healthy, quitting smoking and giving up alcohol.
Setting realistic goals and monitoring the progress can help keep up the resolution throughout the year.
Every year, many people make New Year’s resolutions, but only a few keep them. According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, millions of Americans list goals for self-improvement, but only 8 percent keep them all year long. Some studies have shown that 80 percent of the people give up on those resolutions in a month.
One of the most common resolutions is losing weight. Others include exercise, quitting smoking and alcohol, start a hobby, read books, etc. Even though statistics say resolutions do not yield results, they can still be worthwhile. ‘Never pick a New Year’s resolution that is bound to fail. Make a resolution you can stick to for good.’
Tips to Follow New Year Resolutions Throughout the Year
It is important to set yourself up for success when you decide to set a New Year’s resolution. Having the plan to move forward, setting realistic goals and keeping track of progress are important to bear in mind when heading toward the new year.
Some of the ways that could help keep
New Year’s resolutionsare given below
Get adequate rest
Before making a huge change that requires great effort. It is crucial to consider your sleeping patterns before making a change. Never underestimate the power of sleep, especially when the New Year’s resolution is related to health. Get adequate sleep before incorporating any changes in your lifestyle. When you are well-rested, you tend to make better decisions, plan better and look at life with a better attitude.
Start small
The exciting part of a New Year’s resolution is the beginning when you decide to change. But do not set yourself up for failure in 2017 by taking unrealistic resolutions. Make a wise choice by incorporating small changes. It is better to add a new behavior rather than taking away one. Think about small changes that can lead to achieving your overall goal. It is also important to plan ahead so that you will have the resources to achieve your goal.
Be honest
New Year resolutions are set because we think it could improve our lives in some way. But, it could be successful only when we are honest with ourselves. Be honest with yourself and figure out what is important to make your resolution work.
Monitor your progress
Monitoring your progress will help you make corrections to achieve your goal. You can use your mobile phones for reminders or even send a pre-scheduled e-mail to yourself. Include reminders of why you are working on the goals. Whenever you fail, ask yourself the questions that you want to achieve and confidently answer.
Find support
Getting support from family and friends is beneficial to keep New Year resolutions throughout the year. Change is often difficult when done alone. Make your intentions clear to your family and friends so that they could hold you accountable for your goals. Join a support group to reach your goals such as a gym or ‘quitting smoking’ group. It is important to have someone to share your struggles while keeping New Year’s resolution.
Plan rewards
Whenever you make a small progress towards achieving your goal, you could reward yourself. This could be a great encouragement to keep you going during the hardest days. Start your rewards once a week and later change it to once a month. Rewards help you look forward to something.
New Year resolutions could be anything that could improve health, lifestyle or behavior of a person for good. Most of the people focus on physical health and not mental health.
UAB clinical psychologist Josh Klapow, said that people should focus on mental wellness as well.
“Our thoughts and feelings have a direct impact on our overall well-being. Taking hold of stress can have a lasting impact on mental wellness.”
“Daily stresses have a funny way of building up to a point where people can feel overwhelmed. Stressful situations can’t always be stopped, but there are ways to manage the feelings of stress.” “Monitoring stress levels is a good habit of making, and taking short mental breaks can be helpful in breaking up the high-tension moments. Carving out a little time for something as simple as a daily walk can also reduce feelings of stress,” said Klapow.
Source: Medindia
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