Why Not to Set New Years Resolutions

In this blog, I will explain why you should not set resolutions but instead set goals. 

Hello everyone and welcome back!  

I want to start this blog off by saying I hope you all had a somewhat enjoyable Christmas. It certainly didn’t feel as magical as usual. I welcomed 2021 with open arms although that did not get off to the right start, did it?  

Speaking of the new year, did you set any new years resolutions? 

Did you read our last blog of 2020? Find it here. 

A few famous new years resolutions are ‘to get fit’ or ‘to eat better’ now these are extremely broad terms. There are no specifics to them which can make them harder to follow. Studies even suggest that 25% of people quit on their resolutions within the first 30 days of setting them.  

Now, this may be as people are setting themselves up to fail, they don’t prepare or they feel reluctant to even start this resolution in the first place and do so under pressure from society or even their families. 

According to this Forbes article, only 8% of those who set new year’s resolutions will actually accomplish them! 

Of course, the new year is a good place to start as it brings a new mindset and offers a clean slate to pick up healthy habits. However instead of setting resolutions, why not change the wording to ‘goal’.

Goal setting is much more appropriate terminology as goals go hand in hand with aspirations and goals tend to be more specific than resolutions.

How to set goals effectively:

As Occupational Therapists we are experts at goal setting. We work collaboratively with clients to set goals no matter how small and use these goals effectively to get clients where they want and need to be, in order to live fulfilling and productive lives. 

To effectively set goals, you first need to assess where you currently are, what you want to change and the steps that will assist you with this. We would always advise starting with small yet sustainable goals. Sustainable is the keyword here, as there is no point in setting yourself up to fail. You must be able to achieve this goal in the first instance. 

Next, write on a piece of paper the goal, why you want to achieve this (what’s the driving factor) and what needs to happen for you to start. Writing your goals out on paper can be useful to reflect back on and review your progress. Another aspect of creating and setting goals is to utilise your support systems so share your goals with those around you could also add extra motivation for you. 

Now of course it is fantastic to set yourself goals. Goals keep us going, they provide building blocks for achievements. However, I want to remind you to be kind to yourself. Especially in today’s climate, no one could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic and the world has been quite literally turned upside down. So if you didn’t set any goals for the new year or if you are struggling to follow them don’t panic you aren’t alone and it’s okay to take the pressure off, you can always start again.

 If you need help or guidance with goals or if you are interested in the services we provide we would be delighted to help. Get in touch today for more information.