Resolutions Falling off the Rails?
It’s getting close to that time when people start falling off the wagon with their New Year’s resolutions that were made with such good intensions only weeks ago. Sometimes we make lofty plans but “real life” kicks in and we find that perhaps our resolutions weren’t quite as sustainable as we thought. I must say, this time of year isn’t really the most suited for priming our motivation and invigorating us to changed habits. It is the darkest, often coldest time - not to mention the time when colds and flus are peaking. We feel like hibernating, not smashing out goals and dreams. Are these all good reasons for not feeling into it? Yep. But are they reasons for not putting in an effort to make positive changes? Nope!
With New Year’s resolutions, even more so than other random goals we set throughout the year, once it gets hard or we start to feel we are falling off the rails, we just throw in the towel and leave it at that - abandoned for another year! If we feel that we “resolved” to do something that just isn’t really feasible at the moment, rather than admitting defeat we should consider that nobody ever said you can’t change or modify your resolution!
Take some time to think about why set that resolution in the first place, howe does it fit into your overall health goals. Also consider why you don’t feel like doing what you set out to do or why it just isn’t working in your life right now. What is the number one barrier that seems to be preventing you from achieving your goal and making it happen? Next, see if you can solve that sticking point - especially if you are attached to working on that particular area of health. Let’s look at some examples of how we can problem solve our barriers for some common resolutions…
Maybe you want to get up earlier to exercise or meditate - and have time to eat - before dashing out the door for your day, butttt, you just can’t seem to drag yourself out of bed in the dark. Before throwing in the towel, maybe we could look at setting an earlier bedtime, or perhaps you could try getting one of those clocks that also lights up slowly, illuminating your room and triggering your hormones that morning is here and the day is starting.Find a buddy who is interested in doing the same thing, this can help you both be accountable and stay motivated. All of these little strategies can help you adjust to your new routine, but if still nothing, maybe for now we need to shift that workout to the evening. Perhaps that morning routine resolution needs to be started at another time of year, it might be easier to start in the spring and summer - that way you’re already adjusted to your routine by the time the winter months take hold! (If you do that, be sure to set another one for you to do now though and flip ahead on the calendar and schedule the start date of that new resolution to ensure you keep your promise to yourself.
Keep in mind that for dietary changes, it’s often easier to first try adding something or replacing something, rather than jumping straight to elimination. For example, if you want to cut out sugary drinks, before you reach for one make a resolution to always drink a large glass of water first. You might find that by the time you’re finished that, you don’t really have the same craving - and bonus, you added another glass of water to your day!
If you have spent some honest time with yourself and tried to discover what’s preventing you from achieving your goal, but for whatever reason it’s just not happening, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and try to tackle another goal in a different area of health. Just be sure that that same barrier or sticking point you identified was holding you back isn’t going to be in the way of this new intension too! If you need some ideas of “themes” to work on, consider the pillars of health - those different facets of health that all count in our quest to be better. Maybe it’s diet, maybe it’s exercise, maybe it’s social connections and relationships, maybe sleep - heck maybe it’s about balancing them all a bit better. There are always more things we could do, we just need to pick something that resonates enough to become a priority for us. If variety is your spice, pick a couple resolutions and alternate days or weeks on them - soon enough they will all slowly creep into your everyday life!
Lastly, be kind and patient with yourself. We are creatures of habit and change can be hard. It doesn’t have to be perfect, small baby steps in the right direction still count! If it isn’t working, dig in your heels, be honest with yourself about why it isn’t working and try to sort out those barriers. If it still isn’t working, then get busy finding a new direction for your path. Don’t be afraid to change it up if it isn’t working! The only thing we should be afraid of is not doing anything! - You are still working on creating that “new body” right??