My New Year's Resolution List usually starts with the desire to lose between 10 and 3,000 pounds.
— Actress Nia Vardalos
Every year about this time, I firmly resolve that I will not make New Year's resolutions. I catch myself thinking, "resolution, schmesolution."
I've realized that it is not advisable to try to hold myself to standards I may not be able to attain. The bloom eventually falls off of the resolution rose, and it's back to square one.
Approximately 45% of Americans make at least one resolution in January. But only about 8% of those people will still be committed three months later.
Fitness-related resolutions top the list for most people. It can range from exercising more and shedding extra pounds to quitting smoking. About 73% of people who included some sort of fitness goal when making their resolution give up before making it to the finish line. Some say it is too difficult to stick to a regimen, and some say it's a lack of time.
Often we set the bar too high. People who successfully fulfill their resolutions tend to break them down to make them more achievable.
Women tend to make at least one resolution going into a new year. And while they tend to be more proactive about making resolutions, it's men who seem to be better at working toward them.
It's obvious why the new year is often chosen as the time to make positive changes. It's a new start for many. But in reality, anytime is a good time to start, which can be the hardest thing to do.
August is thought to be the best month for following through on new commitments, while January is the worst. And if you can make it past 90 days, you stand a better chance of the change sticking.
As we get older, it can seem harder to get rid of certain habits or bad behaviors. Statistics show that middle-age is when people begin to slow down on making resolutions.
I figured out that it's harder to beat myself up for not keeping my resolutions if I haven't made any. It's healthier for me to do a little bit along all year, even if it's in spits and spurts, than to stress over resolutions leading up to the new year, when I feel unprepared and not ready to start anything.
I found an article on the website of Psychology Today (psychologytoday.com) titled "3 Reasons You Shouldn't Make a New Year's Resolution." It's written by Christine L. Carter Ph.D., who says she loves New Year's resolutions.
She realized that by "strongly encouraging" her friends and family to make resolutions, she left out the fact that people don't just make them and then just spring into lasting action.
Carter mentions behavior change researchers James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente, who have been at it for 40 years. They contend that people change in stages. They go from not even considering making a change to contemplating making a change to preparing to make the change, and then eventually they are ready to spring into action. The behavior change is not the first stage of change, it's the fourth.
If we are not really ready to make a change, it's more likely we'll fail. Often it's because we don't know how to make the change we want to make. Sometimes we feel demoralized by previous attempts to make similar changes, and we don't want to fail again. Or maybe we're in denial so we defend ourselves or rationalize our behavior when the topic of change comes up.
The contemplation stage is a time to deal with the "cons" that may be holding you back. Finding the benefit of making the change can be helpful too.
Take an honest look at how the change you are preparing for can truly make life better.
There isn't a perfect length of time for change to occur. In 1960, Dr. Maxwell Maltz wrote Psycho-Cybernetics. As a plastic surgeon, Maltz wanted to see how long it took patients to get used to changes he made during surgery. Based on observing his patients and reflecting on his own habits, he determined it took at least 21 days for people to adjust.
Since then, self-help gurus have latched onto the 21-day theory, but people forgot that Maltz said, "a minimum of 21 days," not that, "it takes 21 days to form a new habit."
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rboggs@adgnewsroom.com
ActiveStyle on 12/30/2019