OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE ‘NEW’NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS!

Every year the majority of us greet the New Year with numerous New Year’s resolutions, which if you are anything like me, were last year’s resolutions too! We are full of enthusiasm about our new resolutions and openly rejoice that this is the year we are going to lose weight, stop smoking or become more confident only to fall at the first hurdle and usually during the first month!  So why do we set ourselves up at the start of every year for failure? Why do we never actually resolve our New Year’s resolutions?

Well firstly, it is our expectations. If like me, you failed miserably at meeting any of your New Year’s resolutions last year and if you are totally honest, for the past several years too, then realistically we don’t expect to succeed this year either. So if we expect failure, we get failure.

Secondly, most of our resolutions involve breaking or changing habits. We want to stop smoking or eating chocolate or we want to become healthier or more confident. So why is it so difficult to break a habit?

A habit is a learnt behaviour. It is something that we consciously thought about initially (‘I’m going to smoke to fit in with the crowd’) but which has, over time and through repetition, become a habit. A habit becomes an ‘unconscious’ behaviour – we no longer ‘think’ about doing it, we just do it! How many smokers find a lit cigarette in their hand without ever ‘thinking’ about whether or not you actually wanted the cigarette?

Once our habit becomes an unconscious behaviour is it almost impossible to overcome with sheer will power alone, however it is not impossible. The first thing you need to do is make a commitment to yourself that you will overcome your habit, write it down if need be—but you need to be 100% committed.

Secondly and this is where most people fail, you have to admit that it will be a struggle at times. You will almost certainly have cravings and it is the fear of these cravings which prevent people actually contemplating giving up in the first place! The more you deny your cravings for sweet things or nicotine the stronger those cravings become and the more you focus on not eating fatty foods the more you want them.

Always focus on the positive outcome—the slimmer you, the healthier you as this is far more motivational as it creates ‘pleasure’ and moves away from the ‘pain’ of  quitting.

Lastly, get some support or help. There are many wonderful organisations and methods which can help us overcome our habits such as weight loss clubs, and stop smoking support groups however there is one way which effortlessly helps us break these unwanted habits without battling with our will power. Furthermore it is both safe and natural. So what is it?

Hypnotherapy! Hypnotherapy has proven to bethemost successful way to stop smoking and it is equally successful in dealing with other habits; weight loss; phobias; depression; anxiety and many other emotional and physical symptoms.

So let 2010 be the year you finally resolve those repetitive New Year resolutions!