Experts Offer Tips to Set and Keep New Year’s Resolutions

(KNSI) — By this point in the year, many people may have given up on their new year’s resolutions, but it’s not too late to get back on track.

Whether it is losing weight, getting your finances in order or quitting smoking, experts recommend being mentally ready and say having a positive frame of mind is essential to achieving your goals.

Central Minnesota Mental Health Center Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Steven Loos says one of the things that can get in the way of us making change is we compare ourselves to unrealistic examples we see elsewhere. He recommends that we use ourselves as our own comparison. “When I make a goal for myself, I want to look at who am I right now. And who do I want to be a month from now? And I think that is really the most realistic way for us to make fundamental changes.”

Loos says realistic goals can help you stay on track by pointing you in the right direction.

“We want to have some early wins. So when we set that bar, realistically, we can say that we’ve achieved something. And what happens is when we achieve a goal, we often get a boost in self esteem. And we often get an increase in motivation.”

He says no matter what your resolution is, make sure you have a way to track your progress.

Dr. Loos says, on average, about 9% of people see their resolution through.

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