New Year, new you, right?
Every New Year, you see people excitedly sharing their New Year’s resolutions. Whether it be exercising more, eating healthier, practicing kindness, or being more environmentally conscious, people see the New Year as a time to reinvent and become better versions of themselves. Unfortunately, these New Year’s resolutions don’t usually last. People are trying to drastically change themselves through the excitement of the New Year, but when that excitement dwindles down, so do their resolutions. So, how do you create sustainable New Year’s resolutions that can last? Here are some tips:
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
No one can just completely change their lifestyle in one day. It takes practice, both mental and physical preparedness, and it must be gradual. If you want your resolution to be sustainable, you have to work your way up. Want to exercise more? Start by doing 30-minute exercise 3 days a week. Want to eat healthier? Start by cutting out processed sugars on the weekdays. Want to do a digital detox? Start by eliminating cell phone use at dinner. Once you slowly and gradually implement these new habits into your day, it’s easier for them to become a routine part of your life. New habits are supposed to be a treat, not a punishment. Pushing yourself too hard only makes you want to quit sooner.
Invest in Some Tools that Will Help You Reach Your Goals
Investing in tools that help you reach your goals and feel your best is essential to any resolution. If you’re working to be more active, you can invest in a good online fitness program to help you get started, especially while gyms are closed. If you’re trying to cut out processed foods, find a good meal planner and get busy prepping healthy meals. If you want to practice self-care or be more active, invest in tools like an NFORCE massage gun. A percussion massage gun can help you wind down after a long day or recover your muscles and protect your joints after. A full-body muscle release tool like MFLEX helps your body stay loose and relaxed, preventing tension, inflammation, and injuries, helping you feel better throughout the day.
It Doesn’t Have to be a New Year for a Resolution
You don’t have to wait for the New Year to make some changes in your life. You can start any time! So many people get caught up in the whole “New Year, New Me” idea, thinking that just because the year has changed, they must change as well. But maybe January 1st isn’t the time for you to change. If you’re going through a tough or coping with other things during the New Year, then maybe it’s not the time for you to make any resolutions. Take time to tend to whatever it is you need to mend, and once you’re ready, you can start your resolutions gradually.
Get to Know Your Resolution and Create a Plan
Research has shown that it’s easier to break or make a habit if you better understand your resolution and attach a plan to it. If your resolution is that you want to spend less time online, try to understand why you’re spending so much time online in the first place. Are you bored? Are you lonely? Do you feel the need to be stimulated? Notice the reason, and find other ways to satisfy whatever it is you need. So, the next time you’re bored, you know you can go on a walk, read a book, play with your pet, or bake something. If you’re lonely, you can get a pet, talk to your family, call up a friend, or write in your journal. If you feel the need to be stimulated, read a book, watch an exhilarating movie, try a new food, or go on a hike. There are always ways to replace bad habits with better ones, or ways to create good habits; but first you must understand why you do what you do in order to change your behavior.
New Year’s Resolutions are hard to maintain, but if we change our perspective on how they’re supposed to be, we can make our resolutions more sustainable and make and break habits in a way that can last.