Each year on January 1st , many of us make one (or more) New Year’s resolutions and by January 15th, most of us have given up on them. Why is this? Why do we humans find it so difficult to stick to our resolutions, especially when we know that they will be good for us?
Most likely, it is because our highly complex “computer brain” is hard-wired to resist change, even those changes that might be good for us. But don’t despair. It can be done. Hypnosis can get into that hard-wired, multi-chip processor and assist in making the changes you want to see really happen. It may take a little time (usually habits can be shifted in 21 days) but those “old” neural pathways can be over-written and your brain can be re-trained to accomplish everything you literally “set your mind to”.
In the meantime, these tips will help you retrain your brain so you can stick with your New Year’s resolutions.
- Write it down. Thoughts committed to paper are twice as likely to manifest into reality as those that just float around in our heads.
- Believe you can do it! Believe in yourself, first and foremost. Talk yourself up. Fake it ‘til you make it. If you can be positive, you will have a greater chance of achieving your goals.
- Don’t try to change everything at once. Rather than making multiple resolutions that are overwhelming and impossible to achieve, choose one or two specific behaviors you want to change and start there. Success will lead you to success and more changes can occur as time goes on.
- Don’t replace one bad habit with another. Don’t stop eating cookies but start drinking diet pop. Don’t quit smoking but start guzzling coffee all day long. This only substitutes one unhealthy vice with another. Exchange your old bad habits with new good habits.
- Reward yourself for small successes. When you reach a goal or follow through on your resolutions, reward yourself with something healthy. This does not always mean that the reward need be something expensive or naughty. Often the gift of a few quiet moments to read, walk the dog, phone a friend, write in your journal, or take a long bath are the best (and safest) rewards. NOTE: If losing weight is one of your new year’s resolutions, do not use food as a reward!
- If you get derailed, get back on track. Setbacks don’t have to mean failure. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a small setback. Just acknowledge it and get back on your program as soon as possible. Don’t toss the entire week out or wait until it stops raining. Do it immediately. Change will happen. Keep up the good work.
Be well ~
Shawn Marie Howe
