New Years Resolutions and How To Achieve Them
Now that Christmas is over for another year, New Year is just around the corner – this is the perfect time to start thinking about your New Years’ resolutions. A New Years’ Resolution is a tradition practised by millions of us, whereby a person sets themselves a goal to continue good practices, change a bad habit or behaviour or accomplish a specific goal at the beginning of the calendar year.
Despite people’s best intentions over half of the people who set a New Year’s resolution fail with only a third making it past January, but this doesn’t have to be you this time! In this post, we’ll take a look at some tips on how to stick to your resolution as well as some resolution ideas if you’re a little stuck.
Make them SMART Goals
Specific – Make sure your resolution is specific, if you want to lose weight, how much weight do you want to lose? If you want to save money, how much? There’s no use in being vague or you won’t be able to do the next part.
Measurable – If you can measure your progress it’ll help inspire you to carry on towards your end goal. Stay on track with your resolution(s) by noting your progress in a planner or notebook.
Achievable – This doesn’t mean you can’t challenge yourself but setting goals that are unachievable can leave you feeling frustrated and more likely to give up on your resolution. For example, becoming a millionaire by the end of the year (although lovely) might be a bit out of reach however saving an extra £100 a month might be more achievable. You know yourself and what you can achieve!
Relevant – It’s important when you set yourself any goals to make sure that they are meaningful to you, don’t pick something because your friend is doing it or because society has made you think you should otherwise you won’t be inspired to see it through.
Time-bound – Just like being achievable the timeline in which you wish to complete your goal should be realistic too so be sure to give yourself plenty of time (Rome wasn’t built in a day) and celebrate the small steps you’re making on the way.
1. Join in With Dry January
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the new tradition of’ dry January‘ by now, this is when you give up alcohol for the whole of January. People do this as a detox after the Christmas period and for a good healthy start to the new year. Drinking less alcohol can help improve your mood, skin, sleep and your immune system so why not take part in dry January this year? Our countdown candles are a great way to track your progress and keep you motivated throughout the month.
2. Budget/Save Money
During these difficult financial times, this one is definitely going to be the most beneficial to everyone in the long run! Take a look at your finances and come up with a few ways you can save money – if you’re doing dry January that’ll definitely help! Set yourself a goal of how much you want to save each month, even if it’s small, every little helps!
3. Get Your Five a Day
Whether you’re looking to lose weight over the new year or are just looking to improve your health it’s important to eat at least five portions of fruit and veg a day, or 400g. Fruits and veggies are packed full of tons of vitamins and minerals that all contribute to a healthy, balanced diet. Eating healthy can also reduce your risk of serious illnesses such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. Plus, they’re delicious so get cooking in the kitchen and try experimenting with different, healthy, recipes.
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4. Take Time for Yourself
With such busy schedules, most of us are on the go all of the time and are all guilty of not carving out some much-needed me-time! So, endeavour to take time during the week to do something that makes you smile whether that’s reading a book, going for a walk or having a bubble bath. You’ll feel happier and more relaxed if you do.
5. Be More Active
Being active doesn’t have to be about doing vigorous exercise routines, joining a gym or losing weight (unless you want to of course)! With lots of us having office roles we spend a lot of time sitting around which has a negative impact on our health and our posture – they say that sitting is the new smoking! So set a goal to be more active, not just during working hours but all of the time. Walk instead of taking the car (this can help save money too!) take the stairs instead of the lift, or try yoga. Whatever it is, make sure you enjoy it so that you’re more likely to stick to it!
6. Be More Grateful
Adopting a more grateful attitude actually has scientifically proven benefits that can make a huge impact on your life. Gratitude helps to reduce depression and feelings of frustration or resentment and increases feelings of happiness, it can help improve your self-esteem, improve the quality of your sleep and reduce stress! Take the time to write down at least one thing that you are grateful for each night to start your gratitude notebook, enjoy reading back on all of the little things that you’re grateful for.
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7. Start a new hobby
Be more constructive with your spare time and take up a new hobby. The benefit of having a hobby is that it gives you something to focus on outside of work and it’s fun! What is something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t taken the time to learn? Could it be learning to play an instrument, taking up photography, or learning how to paint? You could also take a class to help you learn your new skill and meet other people with similar interests!
8. Ditch a Bad Habit
Whether it’s eating too much chocolate, smoking, biting your nails or being on your phone too often – pick the one that’s bringing you down and make the effort to ditch that bad habit! Record your progress and use that as motivation to continue! Kicking some habits might also help with saving money too!
9. Reduce Your Waste
We can all stand to be a bit more consious of how much waste we produce and what kinds of products we’re buying to help the environment. There are so many small steps you can take to do your part; carry your own shopping bags, use a reusable waterbottle/thermos, shop for more sustainable products, buy your food fresh to reduce on plastic waste – the list goes on!
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10. Be More Positive
Be kind to yourself, pay yourself (and others) compliemts, let go of any grudges, spend more time with those that matter the most to you. Distance yourself from things that impact your mood negatively like taking breaks from social media or the news. Being more positive and practising positive thinking reduces your risk or depression, lowers your blood pressure and stress levels, makes you better at problem solving and helps build a stronger immune system. Who knew you could do all of that just by being more positive!
Whichever one you decide to try come January, I wish you all the best of luck! You’ve got the tools to be different to everyone else and see your resolutions through! Happy New Year!
