Many of us will have made a New Year's resolution – maybe to lose weight, stop smoking or exercise more – but what's the best way to stick to it?
Top tips to make your New Year’s Resolutions stick:
- Only make one resolution. You’re more likely to succeed when you can put all your energy into changing one aspect of your behaviour.
- Be realistic so you don’t set yourself up for failure. Try implementing changes gradually.
- Write it down. This creates a greater connection between your thinking self and your doing self and makes the resolution appear more real than if you simply think it in your head.
- Set yourself a measurable goal as it will be easier to achieve. For example aim to eat 5 pieces of fruit a day or run 3 miles without stopping by March.
- Tell your friends and family about your goal. You're more likely to get support and you’ll want to avoid failure.
- Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal. This will help to motivate you and give you a sense of progress.
- Don’t worry if you revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat this as a temporary setback rather than a reason to give up altogether.
