A new year can be a great chance to start fresh and manifest incredible things for the year to come. 2023 has come and gone, and the year brought its ups and downs for many. You may be like many people and have been thinking of your New Year’s resolutions and plans to start 2024 off on the right foot. The best thing about New Year’s resolutions is that you don’t even have to start them; you are strong enough, brave enough, and perfect just the way you are!
If you decide this year is starting off with lots of motivation and want to make changes, remember to be kind to yourself. When we don’t achieve the goals, we set for ourselves or don’t stick to them, it can be harsh on our mental health and can leave us feeling disappointed and unhappy with ourselves. Setting resolutions for ourselves should be about making life changes that promote mental well-being and happiness that will make life happier and more enjoyable.
Here are some tips on how to be successful if you do decide that you are going to give it a go and set resolutions for yourself:
Be kind to yourself! If you find that you are not sticking to your goals, or they are not going as planned, be kind to yourself and don’t beat yourself up over it. If you miss a day, remember that you can get back up the next day; if you miss a week, it’s okay! You still have next week and the whole year to work things out. If you are too hard on it yourself, it will be much harder to get back on track, and lifting yourself back up is much harder to do when you put yourself down.
Set achievable, attainable, and realistic goals: If we set goals that are too grandiose and too far to reach, we stand less of a chance of reaching them. Keep your goals realistic; the more realistic they are, the easier it will be to achieve them. Start with baby steps, and once a small goal is met, then you can set your sights further and further. Keeping your goals small will help you achieve them faster and it will allow you to be proud of the small achievements and give you the motivation to keep going.
Reflect on why you have made the resolution: If you dig deep and find the reason for your goals, you are more likely to stick to them and become successful. The more thought and consideration you put behind the goal, the more determined you will be to achieve it.
Celebrate the small victories! If you celebrate the smaller milestones, you will feel more encouraged to carry on. This will keep your motivation going full steam ahead and give you the strength to carry on and reach the next goal. All of the small victories will lead to bigger success and will keep you powering through the year.
Check-in with yourself often: Check in on your goals, do they need to be adjusted? As the year goes on, things change, and after working on your goals for a bit, you may have to adjust them accordingly. It is okay to make changes and be flexible with your goals if being flexible means that it will be easier to achieve your goals.
Remember that setting resolutions and goals for the new year doesn’t have to define the new year. If you set goals and achieve them, that’s great, and if not, that’s okay too; that doesn’t mean that the year can’t be everything you choose to make it! Be kind to yourself, practice self-care, and reach out for help if you need it. Contact CMHA South Cariboo for mental health support at (250) 395-4883. You can always call the Emergency Crisis Line 24 hours a day @ 1-888-353-2273, or you can call the suicide crisis line at # 9-8-8. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Kristin Wells, CMHA Community Engagement Navigator
