People often start ignoring New Year’s resolutions as soon as they are made. Dr. David Creel, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic, explains that this may have more to do with how individuals formulate these decisions than with their lack of willpower.
To improve their chances of achieving long-term success, Dr. Creel, a clinical psychologist, exercise physiologist and nutritionist, explains that people must identify the reasons they want to achieve certain lifestyle goals, and be precise and careful when setting them.
This is because constantly thinking about the question “why” individuals want to achieve these goals is enough to help them maintain the same momentum after the initial enthusiasm that they often feel at the moment of making the decision has cooled.
Even if individuals fail to implement the decisions they made, they can reformulate them in a way that supports their success in achieving their goals, according to Dr. Creel.
Once the motivation is clear, individuals can improve their chances of success by, for example, taking work-life balance into consideration, and committing to giving self-care the same priority they give to achieving success at work. Dr. Creel offers a set of tips that will help in setting goals, And making resolutions during the first days of the new year:
SMART methodology
This step consists of setting health-related goals according to the SMART methodology, which means specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-bound goals. bound).
Dr. Creel provides the following example of a goal set according to the SMART methodology: “I want to get up at 7 a.m. 4 days a week to walk for 30 minutes.”
Here, Creel suggests another useful methodology that can be followed, which is to reformulate results-based goals into behavior-based goals, explaining: “Sometimes individuals start with a result-based goal, such as the desire to lose weight by 15 kilograms, while it may be more useful to define the behaviors that should be done.” Changing it to achieve this goal, such as if a person decides, for example, to walk on a treadmill when watching his favorite TV show instead of sitting on the couch.”
Maintain momentum
Establishing a time frame for periodic reassessment is also important, especially when breaking down comprehensive goals into short-term, measurable goals. This re-evaluation process can be carried out by individuals themselves, or with the support of those close to them.
Other options in this context include joining a virtual or personal group, program, or application that increases a person’s sense of responsibility or motivates him to continue working to achieve his goals.
Dr. Creel explained, “This point must be thought about well, in order to avoid adverse consequences for the decision to choose a responsibility partner. For example, if an individual is new to the field of exercising, and decides to practice it with a friend who does not enjoy sports, it may end up convincing both of them.” to the other not to engage in any activity in this context.”
The use of incentives and rewards is another useful measure that can be applied, as intrinsic motivation is generally more important than extrinsic motivation. When it comes to starting something new, using rewards wisely can be very beneficial. Choosing any type of non-food reward, such as getting a massage session, for example, after several weeks, contributes to keeping the individual motivated to work towards achieving the overall goal.
Setting some goals according to the “one time only” method, such as registering to participate in a 5-kilometer marathon, also helps support the achievement of the long-term goal, as achieving several simple and realistic interim goals is capable of enhancing individuals’ self-confidence and motivation.
Prepare for success
Individuals must increase their chances of achieving success by preparing and training to face temptations and challenges. For example, if you want to commit to joining an exercise class once every two days, but you know from previous experience that you feel very tired on some days, which prevents you from exercising, you can make a decision in advance that on such days you will exercise for a period of time. At least 10 minutes, which can easily be done while watching a TV show.
Dr. Creel stated that individuals can identify the obstacles they face, such as mood swings, which may conflict with what they intend to do, and then they can think about the things that previously helped them overcome these obstacles, such as communication with others, which is a helpful factor in activating individuals. Especially when they feel frustrated.
Dr. Creel pointed out that if individuals eat a lot when feeling stressed and tense, they can deal with this matter by preparing a meal with specific calories to eat, which will help them get rid of the feeling of “either all or nothing.” Which may worry them and cause them to eat excessively.
Dr. Creel concluded by saying: “If there are mood disorders that hinder individuals’ success, or if they struggle with a problem such as controlling their weight, they can consider the option of obtaining support from a psychologist in this field to help them learn more about their problem and treat it.”
