How To Reclaim Your New Year’s Resolutions   

We've all been there, starting our "new year, new me" chants and captions. We start out strong and somewhere along the way we lose our fire for our New Year’s resolutions.  However, with the start of a new decade, it's time to change up our patterns and try different tactics to stand strong and continue to honor our commitments and intentions for the next 10 years.

We have heard a million times new ways to approach resolutions, intentions, or commitments, but just merely renaming them will not create a lasting change to see results. By implementing real solutions and tangible goals, these resolutions can become habits. Here are some quick tips on how to reclaim your new decade goals and to stop yourself from falling back into the same mid-year slumps.

New Decade Resolution Tips:

1. Take away a bad habit: More often than not, we try to add some new habits to our roster of already busy schedules. We try to work out more or call our families more. Sadly, our lives are typically shrouded in excess! This tip implores you to reconsider living in gluttony and self-sabotage, but instead release yourself from the oppression of weight and disappointment. Set a goal to remove an act or energy from your life. Remove the dangerous habit of watching your favorite show right before bed that becomes an all-night binge-fest. Stop engaging with a friend or family member who fuels you with toxic energy. Lessen the amount of energy you feed into negative habits before you can dedicate yourself to something or someone new!

2. Practice self-compassion: Often we get discouraged when we slip up on our New Year's resolutions. When we do this, we tend to go into our all or nothing thinking and give up on what we set out to do. Practicing self-compassion and allowing yourself to make mistakes or forget things is a great way to maintain motivation for new goals and life changes. Reminding ourselves that perfection is not the ultimate goal, but steady and consistent change is, which means having ups and downs. By being kinder to ourselves we allow mistakes and reconciliation, which overall will foster an easier and more realistic transition into the greatest version of yourselves.

3. Keep it personal: This may seem counterintuitive but keep your resolutions safeguarded and close to your heart. Many believe that by sharing your New Year’s resolution with your Facebook community or Instagram following that you have created a sense of accountability in the heart of acquaintances and strangers. But what we do is create a sense of toxic guilt and futile commitment. When we personalize our intentions and commitments they resonate within our own depths. Sharing with close friends and family is beneficial, but be sure to choose your cheer team wisely, as toxic people can disrupt your own motivation.

Happy 2020! May your next decade be filled with achieved goals and dreams fulfilled!

xxJess

**** Written for Meridian Counseling by: Jessica Dirk, ACSW Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW 81562)

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Phone: (626) 759-4461

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Supervised by: Sandra Kushnir, LMFT (99225)