New Year, New You? It's easy to feel the pressure at the new year to dream big, feel the motivation to fix it all and accomplish major goals. When we think about our goals, where we want to be in life, and the importance of hard work, big goals have big appeal. As a person who can struggle with "all or nothing" thinking, I really relate to that. But over time, I've learned that a more helpful approach may be to start small. Pick one healthy habit to implement in your life or one new rhythm to incorporate into your family's culture. Once you do this, you can add another! By working slowly and intentionally, it's more likely that these changes will stick and you'll have lasting impact.
What are some examples of small changes that can have a big impact? Try something like adding 1-2 days of exercise into your week, rather than thinking you need to hit the gym every day. Maybe reduce your restaurant or fast food intake by cutting it in half, rather than saying "No More!" With your family, try choosing an afternoon or evening each week to be tech or screen free. Put phones and computers away and enjoy a meal and activities together. It's likely that once you have success with these things, you'll be able to expand and add to them, and will experience a bit of a "snowball effect" of victories. Just one degree of change in January will have profound impact on your life by next December! So bottle that enthusiasm at the new year up, and save it for the long haul!
Natalie Hubartt, LMHC
