According to psychologist: The 3 most common reasons why new year’s resolutions fail

When the year is coming with a Countdown to its end, flying many good resolutions for the next twelve months in the room.

Exercise more, eating less sugar, more time for friends and family application – the list is endless and is accessed in the head with a: “This year, but really!”

Most will give up in January

These exemplary projects will be pursued, nevertheless, is often only a few weeks, or even days, have to learn many people certainly already in your own body.

Anyone who follows his good intentions but in the long term, can be really proud of yourself. As a study by the American Scranton University shows, it can make just 19 percent of people, your resolutions about two years to pull through.

Most give up early as mid-January.

This Failure of the self-set goals can be quite frustrating, and for the following weeks, in addition to demotivated.

But that must not be! In ‘Business Insider’ explains the failure of the psychotherapist Amy Morin, by which small error the good intentions the most.

1. The objectives are not measurable

Resolutions like “next year I want to live a healthier life” or “In 2020, I want to be happy”, sound nice and promising, however, are condemned, unfortunately, to Fail.

The reason: they are simply too vague.

If one carries out, for example, healthier, more should be plugged with concrete goals. Otherwise, the improvements will not be perceived correctly.

“Even if you make some changes to make a healthier, does not feel like a success,” explains the expert.

If you want to change the habits, it is necessary to define, according to Morin, exactly, what exactly was success. The need to formulate measurable goals that can be achieved in clear steps.

Such clear goals can be:

• I want to drink every day 2 liters of water.
• I want to eat every day 5 servings of vegetables.
• I would like to meet once per week, my friends.

2. The goals are to set high

To have good intentions, feels good naturally. However, only so long, until a bad Conscience, because this is not adhered to 100 percent.

And the sets in quickly after the initial Motivation is flattened.

If the goals are too large, this may overwhelm an already after a few days. “You start, the chances of success and think about it, the whole of abandon,” says the expert.

“You are more likely to be successful if you put smaller goals. You can, for example, to go three times per week to the gym.”

3. It starts already on 1. January

On new year’s day last year is still very present: The head of one or the other glass of champagne too much and the chaotic Remains of the new year’s eve celebration are still in the apartment scattered.

Not a very good preconditions to start immediately with the intentions.

And yet another reason which speaks against it, directly on 1. To want all projects to implement: According to a study from the year 2000, changes should be best implemented in stages in order to achieve success.

For the majority of people it will not work on 1. To start January, directly with the implementation. Much more, the date has the opposite effect – you will feel under pressure to start the new year as a good example of how you have it made.

Much more important than the day, the fact that you will feel ready for the change. This can be the beginning of January, or until three months later.

“It is ready when it has developed a clear Plan for his goals. With good preparation you can be that the efforts are effective, what increases the Chance of, even over long periods of time, stick with it,” says Morin.

Sources

• Norcross, J., Vangarelli D. (1998): The resolution solution: Longitudinal examination of New Year’s change attempts, archived from the original on 30.12.2019 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2980864
• Zimmermann, G., OLSEN, C. & BOSWORTH, M. (2000): A ‘Stages of Change’ Approach to Helping Patients Change Behavior, retrieved on 30.12.2019 https://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0301/p1409.html

Cornelia Bertram

*The contribution, “According to psychologist: The 3 most common reasons why new year’s resolutions fail,” published by FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.