The pandemic has hit everyone hard this year. We are all looking for the chance of a new start, but can setting a new year’s resolution do more harm than good?
Studies show that less than 10 percent of people actually keep their new years resolutions and overall 80% of people give up their resolutions by February. Why does this happen? It’s not because resolutions are impossible; it is because the resolutions themselves are simply much too restraining. The goal to for any resolution is to make it attainable and sustainable. In other words, to reach a goal the goal itself must be one that is reachable and something you can do for a long period of time.
For instance, if your new year’s resolution consists of losing weight and your goal is to lose 50 lbs in 1 month, for most people this goal is not attainable nor sustainable. Firstly, to make an efficient new year’s resolution, the goal should NOT be a “quick fix”, it should be something that you can put in your life for a long time. This can be something vague like wanting to be healthier or something specific like trying to lose a certain amount of pounds every month safely, but losing 50 lbs in one month can lead to eating disorders and more problems along the way.
If you really want to change something in your lifestyle, there is no need for new years resolutions because firstly, new years resolutions can put you in a toxic all or nothing mindset, and secondly, if you want to change badly enough and for the right reasons you should start implementing values now! Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are considering to commit to a major or even minor lifestyle change:
Will including this aspect into my lifestyle be safe for me both mentally and physically?
Will this goal be attainable in the long run?
Is this goal sustainable for me?
All in all, by all means, you are allowed to have new years resolutions, however, change is best if it is organic and purposeful.
