We are a little over a month into the new year. We all started out with big plans, major goals, ways to turn our lives around. So again, how is your new year going?
One month ago today is the day that most New Year’s resolution die. I notice that there are fewer people at the gym than there were three weeks ago. Did your resolutions die, or are you still plugging away? If you are struggling to keep your resolutions, here are some tips to help you.
Using your willpower
If you are relying on your willpower to keep your resolution going, you will most likely fail. No one’s willpower is strong enough to keep them going to the gym or skipping dessert they really don’t feel like it. In Atomic Habits, James Clear says there are several reasons why your willpower will fail. A couple of those are changes in environment and lack of sleep.
When we start out on a resolution, we tend to set the stage perfectly to keep going. Clothes are laid out the night before, there are no sweets in the house, etc. But over time, we forget to keep the environment set up for success. We get home late and are too tired to lay out the clothes. Or we forgot to wash them and so now they don’t smell so good. It’s somebody’s birthday and it would be rude not to have a piece of cake and some ice cream.
Perhaps there was a movie marathon last night with your favorite actor. The kids were sick, and you were up all night trying to help them feel better. Any number of things can contribute to your being too tired to stick to your resolution.
Habits are easier to keep
Habits are things you do repeatedly, without thinking. You probably put the same shoe on first every time. You probably drive home the same way too. We set up habits to help ourselves with our mundane, everyday tasks. Brushing out teeth, taking medication, preparing a meal, and other repetitive tasks. I tell my students that if they stopped and thought about everything required to walk down a flight of stairs, they would end up a pile of broken bones at the bottom. There was a time when we were very young that we did have to think about it. Watch a toddler trying to navigate stairs to see how much thought is required. As we got older, we learned, and those movements became habits we don’t think about anymore.
If you want to keep your resolutions, you have to move them from will power, something you think about, to habit, something you do without thinking. Exactly how long that will take is open to debate. (The common number is 21 days but there is evidence for both side of this.) But it will take time. If you have kept at your resolutions since January 1st, they should be habits soon if not already. If you are restarting your resolutions, just remember that they will take conscious effort for a while to become habits you no longer have to think about.
Not enough sleep?
Here is the one I struggle with all the time! While my sleep has improved over the last several weeks, I still have a long way to go. I have tried many of the following to improve my sleep and you should think about them to help yours. After all, James Clear says that better/more sleep will help you keep your resolutions.
Before going to bed try a relaxation strategy. This may include mindfulness, deep breathing, or meditation, or some other metal/physical activity. My mother practiced a Tai Chi/Qigong breathing exercise I taught her before going to bed and it improved her sleeping dramatically.
Have a set routine around bedtime. It may be a bath, or reading (but no screens), laying out clothes for the next day, writing a gratitude list, or all of the above. By having a set routine, you are telling your body its time to go to sleep.
Get more exercise during the day. Exercise will help your body to work out stress and cleanse it of chemicals/toxins you need to release. Just remember to not exercise for 2 or 3 hours before bedtime because the adrenaline may still be in your body. The adrenaline will make it harder to sleep.
Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Midnight snacks may sound good, but if you eat too late, your body will be busy digesting, and it will be harder to sleep. Alos watch how much caffeine you have after lunch as that may keep you awake. Finally, watch your alcohol intake. Alcohol may knock you out, but the quality of sleep you will get will be poor.
How you set up your room can contribute to how well your sleep. A darker, cooler room promotes better sleep. The bedroom should only be used for sleep, not eating or watching TV. Set your body’s expectation that when you go to bed you are there to sleep!