Have you had it with New Year’s Resolutions? Our Registered Psychologist Olivia Dangas has an alternative for you!
See Olivia’s article below.
As we have entered a new year now, there is always much discussion of New Year’s Resolutions and the changes we will make to improve ourselves in some way. While self-improvement and goal setting are great, the hype and pressure of setting resolutions (and sticking to them) for the year ahead can actually be harmful to our desired success. The term resolution can feel rigid, and often times we end up setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves. This can result in us feeling disappointed and deflated and can hinder us from setting subsequent goals.
An alternative view is to reflect on our intentions for the upcoming year. Being intentional involves being mindful and reflecting on how we want things to look in our lives and how we want to feel. Intentions allow for more flexibility and grace, while still giving a pathway towards growth and success.
Consider the following tips for creating an intentional new year:
- Write down your intentions and goals. This helps provide clarity around what we want and we are more likely to achieve something if we write it down. If the idea of writing doesn’t resonate, a vision board or collage of images would also work.
- Put your list of intentions up somewhere in your space where you can see them every day. This will help us be reminded and accountable to the changes we want to make.
- Consider the language used when setting intentions. Terms like decrease, reduce, do more of, do differently, continue doing, are more flexible than absolute terms such as stop, start, or finish. For example, I would like to reduce my social media time vs I will stop using social media.
- Allow yourself flexibility if your desires and intentions change through the year, and give yourself grace if you come across challenges or roadblocks to success along the way.
What intentions do you want to set for the new year? What do you want to be more mindful of?
*Inspired by the work of Nedra Tawwab
Thanks, Olivia! I’m a big believer in ongoing personal development and growth. I sure appreciate the mindful intentions, the grace and the flexibility that this process offers.
If increasing your quality of life is a priority for you, Olivia would love to work with you. She works with adults and Youth 13+.
Book your appointment with OLIVIA, here.
Cheers to personal growth and continued happiness and success.
Penney