It’s that time of year when we set out to make a better version of ourselves, but research shows many people give up on resolutions within weeks, sometimes even days into a new year.
From exercising more to eating better, if you are looking to make changes in the new year, you’re not alone. But bad habits can be hard to shift.
“Change is not like a light switch. It is a process,” said Susan Albers, a clinical psychologist at Cleveland Clinic.
Albers says the first way to help make resolutions stick is to be specific about your goals.
”Our brains love to know the direction that we are going. So instead of saying ‘I want to exercise more,’ make a specific goal such as 20 minutes of walking a day. This is going to make you much more successful in completing this goal,“ she said.
Albers says to also be realistic. Setting goals that are not sustainable can make resolutions fall flat.
”This is because we tend to set behaviors that are too different from where we are at at this very moment, anticipating obstacles. This is a helpful strategy for continuing resolutions,” she said.
Albers says stopping a behavior is harder than starting one. She says instead of trying not to eat junk food, try to set a goal to eat more fruits and vegetables.
She also suggests linking a new behavior to an existing one.
”For example, if you drink coffee every morning, but you want to start exercising, link the exercise to drinking the coffee. Have it be the very next behavior that you do,” she said.
Albers says it is always good to set resolutions with other people. Creating a goal list with your family can help keep everyone accountable, engaged, and help everyone stay on the same page throughout the year.
