Declaring resolutions on New Year’s Eve is a tradition to which most people have become very accustomed. The act of publicly deciding to make necessary lifestyle choices can oftentimes serve as the impetus many need to ensure those changes take place in the coming year. For a lot of individuals, however, New Year’s resolutions that start out as seemingly realistic goals end up causing so much stress that they are abandoned soon after the new year has begun.
Ava Barron-Shasho, a clinical social worker and certified life coach practicing in Owings Mills, said that while setting goals can be beneficial, it can also cause problems.
“While New Year’s Resolutions are a great way to make a fresh start, they can easily backfire,” Barron-Shasho wrote in an email interview. “Take for example getting in shape. Many people psych themselves into thinking that slipping on their running shoes Jan. 1 will achieve their goal. Often, we find ourselves at the orthopedist’s office with injuries and frustration or missing our goal because we didn’t plan. For many this causes us to avoid making any resolutions altogether.”
A study performed by the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania in 2013 found that only 8 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually succeed in carrying them out. To make sure people can see their goals through to completion, experts offer some guides for creating and maintaining New Year’s resolutions.
Make a plan
Kelly M. Hilton, integrative life coach and owner of Discovering Resolutions in Cockeysville, said that creating a detailed plan of action will help people follow through on their resolutions.
“Honestly look at what would have to change in order for you to achieve your goal,” she wrote in an email interview. “If you are saying you are going to eat more fruits and vegetables, what is the plan for shopping, preparing and ensuring that you have access to them instead of what you have been eating until now?”
A significant part of creating a plan, Barron-Shasho said, is doing your homework and “immers[ing] yourself in the change you wish to create.”
“Gather as much information as possible,” she said. “This amps up your motivation like nothing else. This can include doing web searches on the topic and looking it up on YouTube. No doubt you will find an abundance of information and see people who have succeeded in what you want to achieve. While you’re at it, sign up for daily newsletters from experts in the field. This will provide you with motivation in your email inbox every day. Also go to the library and borrow four to eight books on the subject. This makes the goal seem easier.”
Hilton said that creating a resolution without determining a plan of action for it is unwise, as it could lead to disappointment and frustration.
“A resolution which is not well-defined and planned out could be considered less than healthy, as it is likely to provide discouraging results,” she said.
Focus on specifics, not generalities
Both experts agreed that another important aspect of creating realistic resolutions is taking a deeper look at how the changes you plan to make will feel. Instead of focusing on the goal itself, they recommend exploring what the completion of your resolution will mean to you and what changes it will cause in your life.
“I encourage my coaching clients to become really clear on their goals,” Barron-Shasho said. “Take some time to journal about what will change when you achieve your goal. How will you feel when your favorite jeans fit or your blood pressure goes down? What will feel, look and be different? Get really clear on this and you will increase your motivation and chances for success.”
Hilton said that people will be able to find more drive to reach their goals if they step away from generalizations and deal more in specifics. To do this, she recommends taking a look at the individual achievements that the singular goal will make possible.
“Focusing on losing 30 pounds is focusing on the work involved,” she said. “It is all about feeling. Focusing on feeling lighter, fitting into your skinny jeans, feeling confident in social situations is a better approach, because it creates a positive feeling in consciousness which is much more motivating than ‘a goal.’ Olympians don’t exercise for four years in order to win. They do it because they have inside them a desire for the feeling that they know winning will bring.”
Get support
To really follow through on resolutions, both Barron-Shasho and Hilton said support is key. For Barron-Shasho, this means finding people who will serve as positive and motivating influences.
“Don’t share your idea with anyone who will not give you 100 percent support and encouragement,” she said. “Saying you’re going on a diet only to find your co-workers offering you double chocolate brownies will cause you anger and setbacks. Listen to people and find someone who has the same goal and make an agreement to support each other in the process. This will keep you strong and focused.”
Hilton said that it’s also extremely important to provide positive motivation to yourself rather than self-deprecation.
“I would say that the best approach to creating change is supportive and kind — not using negative self talk to push ourselves through,” she said.
Break your resolution down into smaller goals
Forcing yourself to undertake a significant change can be daunting, which is why experts recommend breaking down goals into smaller, more manageable objectives. Providing yourself with smaller, more achievable goals will serve as motivation to continue, Hilton said.
“Break your goal down into achievable milestones to let you feel success more often,” she said.
Barron-Shasho said it’s the small choices that make the greater goal more attainable.
“A resolution is really a re-solution,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to break your re-solution down to manageable teeny tiny baby steps. Find the smallest increment possible. For example, if you want to start walking on a regular basis but your knees aren’t ready to hit the pavement, try walking around during commercials or taking the stairs at work. If you want to start eating healthier, buy some fruit instead of chips and leave it out so you can see it and grab it easily. Each time you take a baby step remind yourself that this is part of the big goal you have set for yourself.”
Reach Times Staff Reporter Elaina Clarke at 410-857-3316 or via email at elaina.clarke@communitytimes.com.
