New Year’s resolutions frequently get a bad rap and for a good reason. Did you know that simply stating your intention to change can have the ironic effect of alleviating your discomfort with the status quo … sometimes sufficiently to prevent you from actually following through with the change. In the field of social work, we call this phase of change “contemplation” and recognize that people can remain in contemplation for a very long time … considering change and recognizing the need for it, without sticking to the tough actions that change can require. So how do you get those New Year’s goals to become a reality? Here are a few research backed strategies to take your New Year’s resolutions into Valentine’s Day and beyond.
Ask yourself WHY:
We all know that when writing our resolutions, getting specific is key. Like any goal, it needs to be measurable, attainable, and time centered. For example, saying that you’re going to connect with your family is a nice idea, but to meet that goal, you need to have specific ways in which you plan to do so, such as having dinner together every Sunday and Thursday or regular family movie nights. One aspect that is frequently overlooked in establishing resolutions is examining why we want to make a resolution happen. Doing so can help you to identify obstacles that could prevent you from achieving your goal, as well as ensuring that your emotional responses to your resolution are in keeping with supporting your goal.
For example, if your resolution is to lose weight but your reasons for doing so are negative, such as feeling that you’re not good enough or that others are judging you, then it’s unlikely that your resolution is going to resonate with you in a way that will make you remain committed to achieving it when it becomes difficult. Answering the question of “why” a resolution is important should generate an emotional response and the right resolution will generate an emotional response that is positive. From a biological perspective, this engages the primitive components of our brain, including the limbic system, amygdala, and temporal lobes. When our resolutions resonate with a positive emotional response, we are more likely to find reasons to engage in daily behaviors that will support them. These aspects are important in making quick decisions that lead to many of our daily actions, including those that become habits over time.
Create a Habit:
While habits sometimes get a bad rap, they are a very efficient way for our brains to manage our actions and decision processes. When you think about driving a car, or even getting out the door for work in the morning without the use of habits that lead to automatically using your turn signals, brushing your teeth, and tying your shoes, these daily activities would become consuming and difficult, making it difficult for us to engage in other activities, such as having a conversation or drinking our coffee. In practice, habits are a powerful drive that originates in more primitive components of our brain, freeing our executive function (such as the frontal lobe) for more difficult decisions and actions. So how can you put what we know about habits into practice when sticking to your resolution? Charles Duhigg provides an effective, yet simple, process for habit formation that draws on the pattern of stimulus, response (i.e. the desired behavior), and reward that can be used to create a strategy that will lead to actions supporting your goals.
For each desired behavior to become a habit, you must create an initial stimulus and a desirable reward. In time, the reward will become less necessary as the process of habit takes over and becomes sustainable. For example, if your desired activity is a daily workout, select the time that you are going to work out and provide a stimulus that will remind you to do this. The stimulus might be a reminder on your cell phone or email, placing your shoes and workout clothes out the night before, or listening to your workout playlist in your car on the way home. For completing your workout you need to also have an enjoyable reward. Good examples might be a piece of chocolate that you really enjoy, placing money into a jar towards a larger purchase, or enjoying a favorite bath product in your shower.
Identify and Address Obstacles:
Remember that contemplation phase of change we discussed? One way mental health professionals help individuals move into action from the phase of contemplation is to ask their client to discuss things that need to happen in order to get to that point. These might include both support structures as well as obstacles that will prevent success. Want to put this into practice without hiring a therapist? Check out WOOP (short for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan). This practice builds on the first two tips provided in this article to assist you working past obstacles that might interfere with your success. You can even download a free app to assist you in the process. Oettingen (the researcher and brain power behind WOOP) refers to as mental contrasting. This process recognizes our need to overcome the pleasure of our positive visions of the future with identifying realistic obstacles and setbacks that need to be addressed to ensure our success.
Give Yourself an Effective Reward:
Reinforcement is backed by research as a powerful way to improve habit formation, especially in the area of healthy behaviors. You can certainly use the method of putting cash into a jar every time you use your home treadmill or elliptical machine, but there are fun options that formalize this process and can increase your accountability. One such option is PACT. By participating in an on-line community, you pledge an amount that will support your behavior and receive a reward each time you complete your activity. If you don’t complete the behavior, you end up paying in.
Finally, whichever of these strategies you use, build in some accountability. You can join a challenge using an online community such as ViaFit, involve a partner in sticking to your meal plan and workouts, or hire a personal trainer or fitness coach. Sharing your progress will make it more enjoyable and will sweeten the reward of attaining your goal.
About the writer: Joli Guenther is a certified personal trainer, yoga instructor and clinical social worker practicing in and around Madison, Wisconsin. Learn more about Joli.
Sources:
Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23, 1-63. doi:10.1080/10463283.2011.643698
Prochaska, J. and DiClemente, C. (1983) Stages and processes of self-change in smoking: toward an integrative model of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 5, 390–395.
Feinstein, Justin Stanich. “Examination of the limbic system’s role in emotional experience using a human lesion model.” PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) thesis, University of Iowa, 2012. http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/2868.
Redish, A. D., Jensen, S., & Johnson, A. (2008). A unified framework for addiction: Vulnerabilities in the decision process. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(4), 415–487. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X0800472X
Miller, William R., and Stephen Rollnick. Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change. New York: Guilford, 2002. Print.
Adriaanse, M. A., Oettingen, G., Gollwitzer, P. M., Hennes, E. P., de Ridder, D. T. D., & de Wit, J. B. F. (2010). When planning is not enough: Fighting unhealthy snacking habits by mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII). European Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 1277-1293. doi:10.1002/ejsp.730
Charness, G. and Gneezy, U. (2009), Incentives to Exercise. Econometrica, 77: 909–931. doi: 10.3982/ECTA7416
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