For many the New Year brings with it a list of resolutions as if it the only time to set up a game plan. Why I Ask? Life changes day by day moment by moment. To wait for a specific time of year is to put on hold all that could have been accomplished. Many have a list such as the one for Santa so when Christmas passes does the list don’t let this happen to your list for happiness joy and purpose.
Having a New Years resolution is great but you must follow up and make changes along the way because life changes. Basic goals can remain the same. Just make adjustments to what life throws at you, keeping the original goal intact!
I believe that any day is a good day to work on resolutions to positively affect your life. Maybe every Sunday you reflect on what worked and what you need work on. Maybe you do a review at the end of each month.
Mental Health is NOT just once and done! Make a resolution to set realistic goals. Set your game plan in action. Start with the New Year but be mindful to reinforce your goals throughout the year!
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Below is just an excerpt from the – Constellation Behavior Health Blog. I hope you use the link and read it in entirety.
Any time is a good time to improve your mental health. But for many people, January 1st is a good opportunity to really take action. There are several things your clients can do to make mental health a priority next year. Start with individual needs and challenges and create goals they can be successful in achieving throughout the year. Before making resolutions, though, consider that there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
Setting goals for improving mental health is a great way to improve wellness in the coming year. But resolutions can backfire and cause more harm than good. People tend to set goals for their New Year’s resolutions that are neither realistic nor reasonable. Then, when they inevitably fail it can be damaging to mental health, causing anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem.
Avoid goals that are too big, unrealistic, and absolute. Instead, focus on small changes that you can achieve. Make resolutions about the process of change, not a big, pie-in-the-sky final achievement. For instance, instead of resolving to take control of depression, set small goals for daily changes that will eventually help reduce depression symptoms. Here are some ideas to get you started in helping your clients set resolutions for good mental health in the coming year.
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Another great read is titled: mental-health-resolutions, from oakpsych.com.
If you plan to set New Year’s resolutions for 2020, don’t forget your mental health. It’s easy to overlook this area of your life, even if it has the greatest opportunity for improvement. Check out these mental health resolutions for the new year, courtesy of Oakland Psychological Clinic.
Be Specific with Your Mental Health Resolutions
No matter what type of resolution you’re setting, be specific. Establish realistic, measurable goals that you can strive for. Instead of saying “I will be more positive in 2020,” say “I will start each day with a positive affirmation.” This turns a vague statement into an achievable task, which will help you maintain your resolutions….
…. It’s about Progress, Not Perfection
Wherever life takes you in 2020, be proud of your progress. You don’t have to be perfect in everything you do. In fact, we guarantee you won’t be! Instead of focusing on what you haven’t accomplished, think about all you have accomplished. Approach each task one step at a time, and trust that those steps will add up.
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CHP and associates brings a list as well. Below are my favorites*.
(Follow link to read the entire article)
… Here we have some mental health resolutions that are solid goals not only this year, but every year.
*Act instead of reacting. Rather than allowing yourself to get caught up in reacting to the actions of others that push your buttons, be prepared with a mental list of disarming statements to counteract the negative statements of others.
*Do not allow yourself to be defined by a label. Instead of thinking and speaking of yourself as being overweight, anxious, depressed, etc… say instead “I have depression and today I will exercise to help manage that.”
*I will strive to become the person I want to be. View life as a journey full of adventures rather than a series of obstacles you have to overcome. Enjoy the ride that life is, rather than focusing on the bumps in the road.
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A lecture from Oct.22 1976 by Clyde Kilby stills holds true today. He presented 10 Resolutions for Mental Health
MY FAVORITES:
I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their “divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic” existence.
I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood and try, at least for a little while, to be, in the words of Lewis Carroll, the “child of the pure unclouded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder.”
I interpret this as not to overthink and find the joy in little things and to look at the world through the eyes as a child. Childlike faith is often described as a faith that does not doubt, question, or seek explanations; it just believes. Refer to Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:17
FROM ME TO ALL OF YOU
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