Welcome 2022

We hope you were able to enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones. Although this time of year can be tricky for some, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months, and well what a year we have all had.

Hopefully, the new year brings with it new goals, aspirations, motivations and although it is inevitable that there will also be new challenges let’s hope these will be manageable. 

Last year as we welcomed 2021, we wrote a blog about why we think setting new years resolutions can be unhealthy, as these often add extra pressure into our lives that simply isn’t necessary. Resolutions often focus on ‘restricting’ for example, ‘I will stop drinking alcohol’ or ‘I will stop eating chocolate’ sound familiar? But for how long are you able to stick to your resolutions? Going into the new year with resolutions that we don’t really want to stick to in the first place is just setting us up to fail and in the current climate that we are all learning to navigate, shouldn’t we just really be kind to ourselves? 

In case you missed our previous blog, click this link to read it: https://www.katemeadsassociates.com/why-not-to-set-new-years-resolutions/

What is a SMART goal?

If you choose to make the most out of the fresh start in 2022, and want to set resolutions, the key here is to make them SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timley. In order to achieve success, it will be much more motivating if you can actually measure results within a specific time frame and the key here is the word realistic. If your resolution is to lose weight, don’t aim to lose a stone within a month. Break down the goal to ensure it is achievable and realistic. Perhaps aim to lose a kilo in the first month, and if that goes well then increase it. The language you use is also paramount. Another tip is rather than use the word resolution, why not say ‘goal’. A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something, whereas a goal is the object of a person’s ambition or effort to achieve a desired result.

To learn more about SMART goal setting, click this link: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm.

We would like to end this blog, by thanking you all for the support over the last year. We hope you find our content useful and we will continue to post wellbeing tips and tricks from our expert occupational therapists. Our community is growing and we are extremely grateful. If you ever have any questions, our team are always more than happy to answer the phone and have a conversation with you. If we feel we are not the right people to help you, we will do our best to signpost to other services.