Gu
est Blogger: Joanne Barker
About half of Americans herald in the New Year with a resolution to improve some part of themselves. Whether it’s losing weight, giving up cigarettes, or actually using their gym membership, January 1 inspires many to make a fresh start. Sadly, the hope and optimism of late December have a way of petering out by February or March.
At their root, many resolutions practically beg to be broken. Here are tell-tale signs of New Year’s resolutions destined to fail.
1. Assume change will be easy.
Many resolutions set out to reform behaviors that have been around for years or decades. It may feel great to imagine a life free from bad habits, but the grind of daily life has its own ideas. The triggers that lead up to out-of-control shopping sprees, for instance, will still be around when the calendar changes. A solid resolution mixes lofty goals with a solid game plan. For instance, “When my overflowing inbox makes me want a new pair of shoes, I will take a 5-minute break.”
2. Try to do too much, too soon.
Changing behavior takes willpower and research shows that willpower actually burns energy. Keeping a resolution is like running up a set of stairs. You know you can run up only so many sets of stairs before you run out of energy. Likewise, you can maintain willpower for only so long before your resolve runs dry. If you typically go straight home from work, getting yourself to the gym 3 times a week will take effort, at least until the gym becomes a part of your routine. If you’re simultaneously dieting, keeping your home cleaner, and trying to improve your posture, you will run out of steam. Be kind to yourself and take on one change at a time.
3. Set vague goals.
I’ll eat better.
Resolutions like this have no form. There’s no way to measure success or know if you’re even close to your goal. Making matters worse, there are no concrete steps. What does it mean to eat better? How do you get there?
I’ll eat 3 or more servings of fruits or vegetables a day.
This is a resolution you can track day by day. After a few weeks of sticking to a concrete resolution, you may feel your confidence in your abilities grow—look at you go! Or if your vegetable drawer remains stocked while the cookie jar inches towards empty, you can at least see what’s going on and make a new plan.
4. Leave no room for setbacks.
Say you resolved to give up smoking. The first few days are fine but by January 5, you’re bumming cigarettes from friends. Do you go back to the drawing board? Or go out and buy a carton?
While it would be great if things went 100% according to plan, a slip here and there does not make you a hopeless case. Relapse can be a reminder that quitting is indeed hard work. Relapse can be a sign you need more support than you have right now. And it can provide useful information, such as what triggered you to smoke again, so you can avoid that for a while.
Let us know what your New Year’s Resolutions are shaping up to be!
Sources:
Baumeister R, Tierney J. Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. The Penguin Press, New York, 2011
Dingfelder, S. Solutions to resolution dilution. American Psychological Association. 2004.