LIHU‘E — On New Year’s Day, only two things are certain — hangovers and resolutions.
At the start of every year, people across the globe set resolutions with the intent of improving their lives and personal satisfaction. According to one 2017 study conducted at Stockholm University, more than 70 percent of people setting New Year’s resolutions have at least one goal focused on physical health. Ten percent set goals focused on self-improvement and 5 percent focused on psychological health.
“I think there’s something about the new year that offers a time to press reset,” said BethAnne Kapansky Wright, a clinical telepsychologist on Kaua‘i. “It’s a time where many people evaluate what happened in the last year — ‘Is my life where I want it to be, and if it’s not, how can I take steps to move in a direction that feels better for me?’”
Judith C. White, a clinical psychologist in Lihu‘e, notes the act of making a resolution can help give people an extra push to act on parts of their lives they’d like to change.
“I think it’s a way to commit,” said White. “When we say something out loud, or when we write something on paper, there’s a degree of commitment to it.”
Unfortunately, those commitments are often never met. While 52 percent of resolution-makers begin the year confident in their success, only 12 percent are expected to achieve their goal by the year’s end, according to a 2007 study.
Wright notes that, oftentimes, individuals fail to create precise enough resolutions, making it difficult for them to assess their progress and leading them to abandon their goal.
“Sometimes the resolution is too vague,” she said. “(For example,) ‘I want to be in better health by this time next year.’ Well, what does that mean to the individual? How are you going to measure that and know that you’re getting the results that you want to see?”
Jared Miller, strength and performance coach at Kaua‘i CrossFit, has found that athletes of his who took a more intentional approach to their resolutions were more likely to follow through with their goals.
“That might be a certain number of pounds lost, or a specific time for a race, or something of that nature,” said Miller. “But they’re moving toward something that’s measurable, and when it’s measurable you can track progress toward that goal, and then you get that reward as you move closer to it. So, there’s actual positive affirmation of the fact that you’ve reached your goal, which is what everybody’s really after — is feeling good about themselves.”
Additionally, Wright emphasizes the importance of setting manageable goals to avoid burnout.
“Sometimes I think the resolution is almost too big — ‘I’m going to start at the gym five days a week and run a marathon’ — something like that,” she said. “And if this is somebody who has never been to the gym, or they don’t have a fitness routine established at all, that might feel very daunting if they don’t have a concrete plan for how they’re going to make that happen.”
To make resolutions less daunting, Wright recommends breaking yearlong goals into manageable monthly steps.
“It’s helpful to break it down month by month,” she said. “So if you set a resolution for yourself, choose one thing that you can do for the month of January — whether that’s something you’re going to do weekly or several times a week — and check in with yourself on a weekly basis. Am I making progress toward my goal? Check in with yourself and be flexible, and adapt your plan as you need.”
Even with all of these tools, many still grow dissatisfied with their lack of progress and give up on their goals. White notes that, often, the difference between succeeding and failing one’s resolution is whether they’re willing to wait for change.
“Some people might be reinforced by losing a little bit of weight and be able to stick with it,” she said. “But I think it has to do with understanding the process and being patient that change takes a long time. It’s not going to be instant. That’s where our culture tells us that we need and we should expect instant gratification and instant results, and that’s not realistic for how change happens.”
To promote that change even in periods of doubt or uncertainty, Miller stresses the importance of building a strong support system.
“At the end of the day, discipline only gets you so far,” he said. “As soon as life gets stressful, you’re not going to have the energy to be disciplined, right? So your energy is better spent focusing on creating an environment full of good influences — good people — that are going to help hold you accountable to the type of person you want to be.”
Even if every tip, tool and precaution is taken to ensure a successful resolution, sometimes goals slip away from those who make them. Still, Wright notes that trying again can make the difference between failing a resolution and making a worthwhile change.
“It’s always OK to press reset,” she said. “Just because you resolve on January 1 that you’re going to better your relationship, lose weight, take that trip you’ve always wanted to take — whatever the goal is — if you check in with yourself and you realize that you’ve already failed at your resolution, you don’t have to quit. It’s always OK to give ourselves a fresh start.”
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Jackson Healy, reporter, can be reached at 808-245-0427 or jhealy@thegardenisland.com.
