So, the holidays are over and you drank, ate, visited, bought, gave, received, and are excited for the new year! What time is it? New Year’s resolutions! Lose weight, go to the gym more often, eat less, stop smoking, spend less, meditate, and more! With less than a month into the new year, how are those resolutions working out so far? If you already caved in, don’t feel discouraged. According to a study from the Journal in Substance and Abuse Treatment found that only 77% maintained their resolve for over a week, while only 19% were successful resolutions for 2 years.
I am not addicted to coffee. I have two cups in the morning. I got a gift of an acupuncture session for Christmas. I called and scheduled an early morning appointment and the acupuncturist asked if I drank coffee. I said, only 2 cups in the morning. She asked me not to have any on the day I was coming in. The second she asked, I started to worry. Would I be able to wake up? Could I think? Could I drive? Would I be mean to my wife? So I set the alarm for three am, and drank my two cups thinking I could go back to sleep and it would be out of my system by my 10 am appointment.
All of our New Year’s resolutions are good ideas, but your subconscious doesn’t change because of the calendar. Then when we fail to follow through with our unrealistic expectations, we get so discouraged that we give up and feel worse.
If you decide to work out 5 times a week, make it 1 time, you can always add more if you want. If you want to lose 25lb, make it 2lbs a month. Crash diets don’t work. We are human, starting small allows us to have realistic expectations and you can be on the road to improving your life!
When it comes to therapy, you are also setting yourself up for unrealistic goals if you think an hour on the couch is going to alleviate a lifetime of personal issues, or if you’re afraid to commit to years of sessions. This is why I suggest simply starting with one session. See if we are a good fit and go from there. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment.
Here’s to a Happy & Healthy 2023!
