Resolution or Revolution?

I listened to a radio programme last night where they were discussing making resolutions and breaking habits.

For some people January is not the best time to break habits, especially regarding food, as you naturally want to eat comforting food and you don't generally get that from a salad - bit of an assumption but you get the idea.

The science bit tells us that minor habits can be broken in about 18 days but others can take between 66 and 254!

Breaking habits may also be about being nice/good to yourself, giving yourself some time. Instead of claiming you will read a list of 50 books this year, perhaps reclaim your reading time. That is something I hope to do. I currently aim to have at least one day a week when I stay away from social media until around 6pm so I hope to use time during that day to read a little. I beat myself up about social media and am constantly telling my boys about screens so cannot be seen as a hypocrite!

Talking of claims, it isn't always a good idea to broadcast your plans for revolution sorry resolution, although some of us can make it feel like that! This can pile on the pressure. I tend to set goals and think of aims because if you do fall off the wagon early on you might just think, no point I'm giving up. Ease yourself into it; a dead stop is not always a good approach as you will then feel you are denying yourself. At this point, also think of a reward for when you reach a minor goal, but obvs not some of the thing you were attempting to give up!

Remember aims and goals, resolutions and targets whatever you call them can be about your mental health, too. Look at the way you sometimes feel anxious, the triggers and do your best to work on knowing when these triggers occur. Figure out what is important to you. I am struggling at the moment as my laptop has given up the ghost and I have probably lost a lot of photographs of our life here in Wales over the last four years. May not seem much to some people but I wake up feeling panicky sometimes so I try to take a deep breath and think to myself that the images may be lost but we have the memories; luckily my husband feels the same way. We don't take lots of photos but I was very concerned when I realised this had happened. I'm getting there regarding the anxiety; there may be a way to get them back but we'll see.

However you decide to break your habits, or start your personal revolution, be nice to yourself and don't worry about failure but concentrate of your success.




Also, if you don't break the habit completely, celebrate the achievement you have arrived at