It’s February, which means it’s about time to start thinking about your new year resolutions again. If you’ve stuck with them, then congratulations! It’s not easy to change your habits and to devote yourself to a new lifestyle of health and wellness. Because it isn’t easy, don’t beat yourself up too bad if you’ve stopped working toward your resolution.
If that’s the case, don’t be hard on yourself! You’re not the same person you were on Jan. 1, 2021, after all. A lot can change in a month. If you want to restart your resolutions, or make new ones, we at IV Revival may be able to help with this blog.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments
Here’s the thing: whether or not you’ve made progress toward your new year’s resolutions or changed directions altogether, you have made progress. It’s been a crazy year so far (in the one month it’s been 2021), and we’ve all grown from it.
Give yourself credit for all that you’ve done—all of your personal, emotional, and professional accomplishments, all of the ways you’ve contributed to your family and your friendships, and everything that you’ve learned. We’ve all experienced a different year, but whether you’ve completed projects at work, sent out applications, survived the stress caused by the Inauguration, or just survived another month of being home, then you deserve to celebrate.
It’s hard to continue making progress toward anything when you’re not regularly celebrating what you’ve already accomplished and how far you’ve come. Take a few minutes to review these last three months and make a list of all that you have to celebrate—then actually do it! You deserve it.
Consider Your Current Priorities
Now that the party is over, it’s time to get back to business. Think of your original resolution and compare it to where you are right now. Is it still possible to do it? If yes, then how can you take (or retake) that first step and how can you shift your priorities to stick with it?
If no, then throw that resolution out the window and pick a new one — or make it match your current situation. For example, you may have wanted to have gotten a new job or lose 5 pounds by now, but you’re still stuck at home thanks to the pandemic. Rework those goals so they can match your daily life.
Make it a goal to apply to three new places every day if you’re job hunting. If you’re trying to lose weight, make it a goal to work out for 30 minutes every day. It helps if you take out the final number of the goal — don’t put a deadline on yourself! If you can’t meet it, it only adds to your stress. Instead, make a smarter goal that lines up with who you are today.
Change your Environment
Chances are, something triggered your resolution lapse, whether it was a person, place or bad habit. If that trigger is the pandemic, then find an outlet that helps you forget about it or overcome the barriers in place because of it (in a way that keeps you safe, of course).
For example, say you can’t go to the gym. Try having a chat with a trainer and see what at-home workouts you can do to keep your endurance up and tone your muscles. Or if you eat out a lot, try following a recipe blog that suits your tastes. One little change can make all the difference.
Restart at the Right Time
Research suggests that starting a behavior change on a day that holds psychological significance—whether that’s the first of the month, a birthday or an anniversary—may modestly improve your chances of success.
However, you shouldn’t wait for a big day as a way to put off healthy change. Don’t make an excuse, make a change.
Don’t force it and don’t put yourself out of your comfort zone. Instead of planning on going out right away, focus on goals you can do at home. For example, if you want to start working on your diet, but aren’t in need of groceries just yet, you can try contacting an IV Bar in Scottsdale. They’ll bring essential nutrients right to your door in a convenient IV to help fill in the gaps in your diet. It can help supplement your nutrition in the meantime.
Finally, Have a Plan
Once you have defined, evaluated, and written down your resolutions, your final step is to make a concrete plan that will bring you closer to your resolution each day, week, and month.
Make it measurable and smart so you can attain it without compromising your priorities. To make it more fun, you can keep a score on how you perform each day. This will enable you to know whether you are progressing, retrogressing, or staying in the same position.
If you fall off your plan again, don’t worry! Reevaluate and try again. It can take you as many times as you need, and if it doesn’t work out, there is no shame in dropping that goal and finding a new one. Remember, it’s your resolution and your year. Make it however you want it.
Good luck!