The start of a New Year is seen as an optimum time to make plans for the future and resolutions to set us on our way.
We often see resolutions as a time of sacrifice, a time to stop eating sugar, to quit smoking or to stop spending on a credit card to get our finances in order. Even when starting something, it can seem more like a punishment than a pleasure. I’ll sign up for the gym or update my CV are examples of things which sound far from exciting.
The feeling of punishment is one of the reasons why more than half of those who make a new year’s resolution fail to stick with it. We resent having to do it, even though it is a challenge set by ourselves. For this reason it is easy to get tempted towards something more enjoyable.
So, if you are determined to make a fresh start in 2016, a good place to start is really considering the following point:
What is it about your life that you would really like to change?
None of us a perfect, so we all have things that we would like to change. When we can identify the sort of person we would like to become, we can start taking steps towards this goal. Our steps can be small, yet they can still contribute towards moving us towards what we’d like to achieve.
No one wants to lose weight or to stop smoking or to go to the gym. These are just steps that we are taking to fulfil a more important goal. Our desire might be to improve our chances of living a longer, healthier life, to gain body confidence or to get into shape in order to complete a physical challenge. When we understand the true goal, we can start to see lots of different ways in which we could make positive changes.
We might not find time to get to the gym this week, but we haven’t failed because we squeezed in a fast paced walk in a lunch break or whilst waiting for the children at an evening club. We may have accepted an invite to curry night, but have increased the fruit and vegetables in our diet. We may not have lost any weight on the scales, but a new haircut makes us feel fantastic.
With our true goal in focus, we can also identify other resources and people that could help us on our journey. There are many people who can help you to achieve your goals, from free smoking cessation groups that support you to personal shoppers who can help you find flattering outfits that make you feel great.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has also proved of great value to people who are working towards change. We often struggle to move away from our current position because of learnt behaviours, an adversity to change or a certain vision of ourselves that prevents us from moving into new roles. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps to see things from a fresh perspective. It challenges your preconceptions and helps you to create a new mind-set which sees things in a new light.
If you want to achieve this year’s resolutions, you could benefit from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Amersham based Cognisant PDC could support you in taking steps in the right direction.