The New Year, a new you? At this time of year it is traditional to focus on what changes you want to make. The aim is often on personal fulfilment. Over the Christmas break, we have time to consider the past twelve months and plan what we want to do differently in the coming twelve. We make our ideas for self-improvement into a resolution.
Popular Resolutions
As we spend so much of our lives working, it is no surprise that many people’s resolution ties into their career. January is a time to update CVs and start job hunting. The prospect of changing career offers hope of greater fulfilment, of new opportunities or a bigger pay packet.
Quitting a bad habit is another popular option. Smoking cessation and gambling support groups receive a lot more calls at the start of a new year. Breaking habits is tough and often requires other lifestyle changes in order to remove temptation and prevent instinctive actions.
The most common resolution is about getting fitter and thinner. There is a surge in gym and diet club memberships in January as people have good intentions about swapping calories for cardio workouts. An improved fitness regime will certainly help us to tone up, build strength and stamina and fit into our clothes a little easier, but the truth is that we need to engage our mind, as well as our body.
Mind Over Matter
Have you heard the phrase mind over matter? It means that the way we think can impact on our behaviour. We have learnt to think in certain ways due to our upbringing, our experiences and our perspective. This can lead us to confuse opinion with fact.
No matter what you want to achieve this year, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been proven to be effective in realising your goals. From gaining a positive mind-set for job interviews, or building a new relationship with food that will ensure that your efforts to lose weight aren’t wasted, to conquering a fear or breaking a bad habit, CBT can help.
CBT will help you to express your thoughts, question them and where necessary replace them with fresh thinking. With a new perspective, we can achieve things that we hadn’t previously thought possible. We can change our behaviours, see solutions and achieve our goals.
If you’ve been a yoyo dieter for years, are desperate to stop smoking, would love to address your fear of flying, or need the confidence to deliver a winning presentation, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can make all the difference.
CBT can also empower you to take action on an issue that plagues everyday life. Talking to a professional counsellor could provide the opportunity to get to the root of the problem. From there, you can start to explore options to change the situation. Anxiety, depression, even physical pain can be reduced to more manageable levels.
If you would benefit from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Amersham based Cognisant PDC can assist. See our Therapies page and allow us to help you to make this year’s resolutions stick.