Make 2019 the year you actually do all the things you want to do. We asked the experts and checked the journals for the most useful tips you can take to heart.
New
Year 2019 : Make 2019 the year you actually do all the things
you want to do. We asked the experts and checked the journals for the
most useful tips you can take to heart.
It’s
the shiniest time of year: that hopeful period when we imagine how
remarkable — how fit and kind, how fiscally responsible — our
future selves could be. And while you may think “new year, new you”
is nothing more than a cringey, magazine-cover trope, research
supports its legitimacy.
“It’s
not like there’s something magical about Dec. 31,” explained
Charles Duhigg, the author of “The Power of Habit.” “What is
magical is our mind’s capacity to create new narratives for
ourselves, and to look for events as an opportunity to change the
narrative.”
One
such opportunity? January. Since most of us consider it a fresh
start, Mr. Duhigg said
New Year’s resolutions can be “very, very powerful” — as
long as they’re backed by science, patience and planning.
At
the core of every resolution are habits: good ones, bad ones,
stop-biting-your-nails ones. So if you want to change yourself,
that’s where you need to start. Here are seven science-based
strategies for making sure your new habits endure.
Think
big
Imagine
it’s the next New Year’s Eve. What change are you going to be
most grateful you made?
Kelly
McGonigal, a health psychologist and author of “The Willpower
Instinct,” suggested asking yourself this question before making
any resolutions. “It’s crazy to me how often people work from the
opposite,” she said. “They pick some behavior they’ve heard is
good for them, and then they try to force it on themselves and hope
it will lead to greater health or happiness.”
Sounds
familiar, right? To avoid that trap, Ms. McGonigal recommended
reflecting on what changes would make you happiest, then picking a
“theme” for your year. That way, even if a particular habit
doesn’t stick, your overarching intention will.
Take
the theme of reducing stress, for example. You might try meditating
and hate it. But, since your goal wasn’t “meditate 10 minutes a
day,” you don’t have to abandon the resolution completely. Maybe
you try yoga next.
Electing
a unifying theme will also stimulate your brain to look for
additional opportunities to advance your goal, said Ms. McGonigal,
whereas narrowing yourself to a single behavior will cause your brain
to “shut off once you check it off the list.”
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