Want a dopamine spike real quick? Just set some New Year's resolutions!
Honestly though. There is nothing more exciting than getting out a notebook and setting goals or resolutions for the new year. It feels like a breath of fresh air.
Like rebranding a part of your identity. It fills your mind with endless possibilities and fills your heart with immensity. But what happens after that? After all the resolutions are written down, how do you feel?
Does a feeling of accomplishment wash over you? Or do you feel a crushing sense of duty towards your newly set goals? Or maybe a little bit of both?
If you answered any of the above in the positive, then rest assured, because I was in the same boat. Until I finally came across something that changed my resolution-setting process forever. But first, let’s understand why the way I was setting my resolutions proved to be a source of mental stress in the first place.
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Get notified of top trending articles like this one every week! (we won't spam you)Why It Wasn't Worth My Mental Peace
I was setting intentions, not resolutions. 'Get fit,' 'eat better,' 'make more money,' etc. They were all something I intended to do. There wasn’t a clear action plan or path I could follow to make those resolutions a reality. And that was the reason I became anxious whenever I looked at my list and saw I still hadn't achieved anything.
They were vague, limitless, and most importantly, didn't have any value attached to them. Dr. Deborah Tate, a University of North Carolina obesity and behavioral researcher, states,
Research suggests that if it’s something you really want for yourself, if it’s meaningful to you, you’re more likely to stick to it.
The resolution list felt like a chore chart rather than something I was doing to ensure I became the best version of myself. It only mentioned what I would achieve instead of what I should do to achieve it.
And that was the reason they didn't stick. I mean, 'get fit' could have been anything from eating a balanced diet to working out more often.
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What I Did To Make Them Worth My Mental Peace
Just one thing. I made all my resolutions as detailed as possible.
Dr. Linda Nebeling, an expert in behavioural change and nutrition at the National Institute of Health (NIH), says,
Any resolution to change needs to include small goals that are definable and accompanied by a solid plan on how you’ll get to that goal.
I made a roadmap I could follow to achieve them. Setting aside some time on a daily or weekly basis to break down my goal into simple and doable steps lessened the load.
It batted away the overwhelming feeling and provided me with assurance that I just needed to follow the steps to ensure I achieved my goal. And just like that, resolutions became a lot easier.
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How They Can Benefit You
Setting resolutions is not only a trend, but it is also a form of self-love. You are actively taking measure of what isn’t working out and making efforts to change it. Apart from providing you with structure, they make you feel a sense of accomplishment, which makes you more motivated.
They also act as proof of what you have achieved so far, which signals to your brain that you are capable of achieving hard things and makes it way easier for you to start new tasks.
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In The End
Resolutions can prove to be good and even helpful for your mental health, but only when done right. Structuring them in a way where they are a step-by-step guide rather than an escalator can make achieving them much more fun and way less daunting.
In the end, all that matters is that you are having fun while doing it, because the journey of self-betterment is nothing if not moving towards bettering your mental health.
