Psycho: Are Good Resolutions Beneficial?

Have you given up on making good resolutions at the beginning of the year because you don't keep them anyway, or not for long? Get out your to-do list of changes to make for the coming year! Indeed, even when you don't keep your good resolutions, the simple fact of making them is already beneficial. Here are some explanations.

It's good to look ahead

Do you find fresh start resolutions to be nothing more than an ineffective and unnecessary tradition? Think again!

In fact, this habit we have of setting goals for the coming year is far from being useless. Behind every good resolution, there is the desire to improve our daily life and our physical and/or psychological well-being.

Of course, we won't necessarily succeed in quitting Smoking or losing as much weight as we'd like, but who cares!

Even though it's probably true that we won't keep them all year, Good resolutions are beneficial and we shouldn't give up this ritual because it helps us project ourselves into the future.

It's a good idea to take stock regularly

Also, choosing what changes we would like to make in our lives in the coming months forces us to take time to reflect and review the past year.

While we don't usually take the time to stop and reflect on our lives, this annual appointment is an opportunity to take stock of our habits and our desires for change.

Making Good resolutions is above all a work of introspection that forces us to take a step back and look at ourselves with lucidity in order to spot what is not going well and what could be improved.

Moreover, it should be emphasized that a real 'good' resolution is the one that really fits us. So, take advantage of this new year to listen to yourself and your desires.

It is good to start the year in a positive way

As you will have understood, making good resolutions in all lucidity is not necessarily a pleasant exercise. It requires an effort of honesty towards oneself, to look at oneself without complacency and formulate what one would really like to change.

But it's worth the effort, as this exercise will help you change your mindset and approach the year in a positive and active way.

Instead of just passively accepting who you are and how you live today, by making good resolutions you express your desire to change, take action and do better.

Now, the desire for change and renewal is always a good thing. It's a great motivator to reprioritize and get your life back on track.

It is good to initiate (small) changes

Since the beginning of the year is the time when everyone makes, more or less, good resolutions, it's a good time to initiate changes in your life.

If you talk to your loved ones about it, they will encourage you and it will help you not to give up too soon.

Even if you find it hard to stick to your goal in the long run afterwards, don't consider it a failure.

The period during which you ate a balanced diet, exercised, walked every day will have benefited you anyway: not only will you surely have felt better about yourself, but more importantly you will have been optimistic, enthusiastic and proud of yourself.

You will have felt, for a few weeks, that exhilarating feeling that change is possible. You will have proven that you are capable of change and it will have felt good.

Note: to keep your resolutions over time, remember that it's best to set realistic goals and put precise numbers on them (like walking 15 minutes a day). Both of these tips increase your chances of success.

To make long-term changes, you can also take inspiration from the kaizen method or small Steps method from Japan (see article opposite).