ANOTHER YEAR BGINS

BY BONNIE FLOYD

It will soon be January 1, 2023: The beginning of a brand new year. How do each of us choose to approach this clean slate of limitless possibilities? With excitement? Hesitation? Apprehension? Reluctance? Uncertainty? Disinterest?

It’s traditional to make New Year’s resolutions as the calendar changes from December 31 to January 1 of a new year. In doing so, do we eagerly anticipate the chance to develop healthier habits in the coming weeks? Alternatively, have we just resigned ourselves to starting yet another new year with the same familiar, well-ingrained, but not necessarily healthy, habits?

Maybe we desire to reconnect with friends with whom we’ve lost contact, for whatever reason. Or, we might possibly decide to explore a new hobby in the new year. If a friendship has been neglected for some time, start with small efforts to reestablish contact, such as a phone call, or invitation to meet for coffee to catch up on each other’s lives. If you’re exploring a new leisure activity, try a trial kit, before you invest in purchasing more expensive materials to pursue it more intensely.

Some of us still believe that it’s possible to change our bad habits, while others may might failed efforts to do so. Perhaps we tried to lose weight the past three years in a row, only to regain the same stubborn fifteen pounds back. Maybe we’ve tried to quit smoking, more times than we care to remember, without long-term success. Attempting to change our behavior is never an easy process.

As a clinical psychologist, I’ve witnessed multiple individuals who have struggled to maintain long-term behavioral changes. I sincerely believe that those who have been most successful are those who have highlighted what they gave gained as a result of their changed behavior, as opposed to focusing on what they have lost.

For example, if someone is attempting to reduce their alcohol intake, it is better to focus on the benefits of drinking less: better sleep; improved mood; weight loss; reduced inflammation, as opposed to the perceived losses associated with not drinking: increased social anxiety.

What are the most important things to keep in mind when trying to maintain our New Year’s resolutions? First, try to establish realistic goals. You are, of course, much more likely to achieve those goals that are truly achievable ones.

After all, if you are attempting to lose a total of fifty pounds, ypu need to remind yourself that it took time to gain this weight, so it will also require time to take the weight off. Of course, none of us likes delayed gratification. We live in a society that craves instant results, which are most unrealistic to achieve, as well as to maintain.

Flashy infomercials appeal to our reduced attention spans, causing us to suspend reality when we assess what goals are actually realistic ones to achieve over time.

If initial goals seem insurmountable, try breaking them down into smaller, more manageable goals. You’ll be much less likely to become discouraged by doing so, and therefore, less likely to give up on trying to reach your goals. For example, one of your resolutions may be to become more physically fit in 2023.

We all know that gym memberships skyrocket during the first week of January, but plummet by the end of the next month. Many times, this is because individuals set terribly unrealistic goals for themselves: they try to go from a mostly sedentary lifestyle to that of an elite athlete, in an entirely unrealistic timeframe.

No wonder most of us find ourselves not successful with such goals! It’s far better to set smaller, more sustainable goals, such ad walking, five days per week, for 30 to 40 minutes.

Try not to adopt an “all or nothing” approach in achieving your new year’s resolutions. Celebrate incremental changes that you achieve along the way, rather than waiting until you reach your final goal. Doing so is a way to maintain your motivation.

Each new year offers each of us a fresh opportunity to start over, to renew our commitment to become the best possible version of ourselves. Think of what a truly remarkable thing that really is! We aren’t obligated to repeat the unhealthy habits of our past, despite how difficult it can be to change our behaviors on a long-term basis.

Always remember that we are much more likely to be successful if we have an accountability partner, someone to whom we need to honestly report about what we’ve really been doing, and how often we’ve been doing it. Truly, this makes such a difference in achieving success.

Know that you have the ability to be successful in keeping your New Year’s resolutions in 2023, believing that you do is a very important key to doing so!

Bonnie J. Floyd, Ph.D. Clinical Health Psychologist