PRACTICALLY ACTIVE

Resolved: Improve lifestyle in the coming year

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.

  • Abraham Lincoln

I’m pretty sure that most of us are familiar with the concept of the New Year’s resolution. But some of us see so many things we want or need to improve that it’s hard to know where to start.

Anna K. TerAvest is a licensed clinical social worker who is a therapist at the Psychiatric Research Institute at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She answered a few questions about resolutions that just might help us.

I asked for tips on choosing our resolutions.

She said that we should begin with positive lifestyle changes that would benefit us and the people we love. We should consider our personal values. Then we need to - in a realistic and positive way - think about the person we want to be. We also need to envision a life that would be the healthiest, emotionally and physically.

She says that we should be loving toward ourselves while considering areas in our lives that are unhealthy. Things to consider include:

What changes need to be made?

How would a healthier lifestyle benefit us?

What positive habits would we like to adopt?

How would these healthier strategies help us feel better and improve our lives?

Should we pick specific issues such as losing weight, or look at the bigger picture of becoming healthier overall?

Our goal should be to transform our resolution into a habit. And, she said, setting smaller, specific goals tends to yield more success.

Instead of a generic, “I need to get thinner,” we need to be specific, saying, for instance, “I want to lose 10 pounds.” We can formulate a manageable plan of action from there.

We should break the goal into small, achievable steps that will become this plan for action. That will give us something concrete to work toward. Then the successes we achieve will increase our motivation to work toward the next step and stick to plan.

So how do we stick with the plan?

First, TerAvest says, think ahead. Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to set your resolutions. Be realistic. If you are not a morning exerciser, don’t plan to attend a 5 a.m. session.

We need to realize that change is a process and results are not going to happen overnight. Small setbacks are likely, but it doesn’t mean we are failures.

We need to recognize and reward our progress. We can journal. We can acknowledge our success and praise ourselves but not in a boastful way. Or we can discuss our accomplishments with others.

Giving ourselves small, end-of-the-week rewards would be helpful, and larger rewards when our goal is met. Examples for small goals could be light treats if we’re dieting, outings with friends or a day off from exercise. Larger rewards once the bigger goal is met could be anything from a shopping trip to a vacation.

How do we make resolutions without going overboard?

We need to focus on changing one behavior at a time. Setting too many goals can backfire into feeling overwhelmed and result in our giving up altogether. And many times, success in meeting one goal can influence us to set and achieve additional goals.

And remember, there’s no reason that positive changes should be confined only to the beginning of a new year.

How does our emotional baggage come into play?

If there’s an issue with emotional eating, smoking or drinking, it might be wise to get counseling or therapy to address the bigger picture. If we learn to handle the emotional triggers, we will be better prepared to stop the bad behaviors.

We have to formulate a plan on how to cope effectively with the emotional triggers. If we overeat when stressed, for example, we need to find replacement strategies to use instead, such as deep breathing. Selecting alternate behaviors is one area where a therapist really can help.

TerAvest says that a mark of good health is acknowledging we need help and seeking it. Addictions or behavior disorders may require professional intervention.

And remember that setbacks are normal. We must accept them and renew our commitment to the goal. Don’t give up. Perfection is unattainable, so we must not hold ourselves to a standard that is unrealistic.

Here’s to a happy and healthier new year for us all!

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ActiveStyle, Pages 26 on 12/30/2013

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