3 minute read
2020 – Time for New Year’s Resolutions and Tips for Making Change Stick
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By Alicia Del Prado, PhD, Resident since 2014
It’s that time of year again for new beginnings and fresh starts. Coming up with New Year’s Resolutions is a timeless tradition. However, by the time March rolls around, most of us have either forgotten our resolutions or given up on them.
Here are a few tips to help set yourself up for more success in making those resolutions stick. As a psychologist who works with countless clients who believe in change but are having trouble making the change last, I have seen how these strategies help improve lives. These tips are also based in solid psychological research and goal-setting theory, so try them on for size.
1. Be realistic and specific when making your resolutions.
Lofty resolutions that are vague lead to poor results. A common resolution for the New Years is to lose weight or get in better shape. Ok, that’s a start, but how will you know when you’ve met your goal? Make your goal one that is measurable, so you know when you’ve accomplished it. For example, “I want to do cardio 3 times per week in the mornings at 9am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 30 minutes each time.” Oh and don’t pick too many. Ten resolutions, too many. One to two, just right!
2. Pick a Buddy.
Keep yourself accountable by choosing a buddy who knows about your realistic, specific resolution. Sometimes people are shy or embarrassed to share what they are striving for. It’s almost as if they are anticipating failure, so are trying to spare themselves from public humiliation for not meeting their goals. However, by taking a risk and sharing resolutions with someone we trust, we have another person who can look out for us, encourage us, and celebrate with us when we do make our resolutions.
3. Create visual reminders.
Have fun with this one! Write down your resolution, draw your resolution, put your resolution on poster board, make a video of you singing your resolution. You get the idea! Make concrete visual reminders of what you are trying to accomplish, so that when you are trying to avoid doing your resolution, these creative visual cues will keep you on track all year round. One of my personal favorites is putting your resolution on a neon post-it, and even consider framing it!
4. Choose a value that underlies your resolution.
Why are you deciding to do these resolutions anyway? Maybe it’s because you’re hopeful that things can be better in your life. Perhaps it’s for love, your love for someone else inspires you to try to change an unhealthy habit. Hope, love, faith, perseverance, self-compassion, and courage are examples of values that you can ground yourself in to stay the course when the road to resolutions is bumpy.
5. Reward yourself.
Too often in life, we do not take time to acknowledge our “wins” and the progress we make toward our goals. Pause to tell yourself “nice job”. Treat yourself to an extra 10 minutes in bed. Write yourself an email with a compliment recognizing the effort you are putting in toward your resolution, but schedule it to be sent at later day. Trust me, you’ll forget about it and then be pleasantly surprised when you receive your encouraging words. The rewards can be small, but their impact is encouraging and motivational.
With these 5 tips in hand, I hope you feel more confident in setting and reaching your 2020 resolutions. If you stumble a bit throughout the year, that’s ok too. Get back on that horse. Don’t criticize yourself. Instead, reach out to your accountability buddy for support, and use the value of self-compassion to guide you back on track.
Alicia and her husband love raising their two children in Danville. Alicia is a counseling psychologist who has a private practice in downtown Danville. She recently co-authored a book, “It’s Time to Talk (And Listen)”
