While resolutions are good fodder for New Year's Eve conversations, they are easily forgotten in January when the hectic pace of everyday life hits. By the first full week of January, we are often back in the thick of work stresses, and family responsibilities. It is easy to get overwhelmed and unable to take the new healthy actions we resolved to take just a week before. Before we know it, we are back to the same old behaviors. This can lead to feelings of self-condemnation and shame. For people with eating issues, we may turn to excess food to try to sooth the negative feelings. This can put in motion a cycle of overeating, purging, starving, self-blame, depression, hopelessness, and still more eating. One way to attain more success is to set smaller, more realistic goals, instead of huge resolutions. Rather than telling ourselves that we must get in shape by summertime, we could aim to work out more than in the past. Rather than resolving to be in a relationship by Valentines Day, we might commit to join a dating site within the first few weeks of January. If lack of time gets in the way of pursuing a goal to eat healthier, we might plan to cook on a weekend, and prepare our meals for the week in advance. When we fall short of our attempts to follow through with our resolutions, it is important to move into to a place of compassion for ourselves. Self-recrimination only serves to further entrench the negative behaviors, while self-acceptance and self-forgiveness give us the ability to try again, and become more resilient.
As we move into 2020, I wish you a happier and a healthier New Year.