As the New Year looms on the horizon, it is important to take the time to evaluate your life and make the necessary transformations for both your physical and mental well-being. Transformation is not established and sustained by making dedicated lifestyle or cognitive changes. Forbes Magazine reports that only 8% of individuals achieve their New Year’s resolutions.
As a clinical psychologist, one of my goals in therapy is to create long-lasting and healthy mindsets and attitudes for my clients and help them to transform negative perceptions into positive and productive thoughts. Therapy is not about giving clients a quick fix for their problems, but about teaching and providing these individuals with the tools and abilities to overcome obstacles and stressors and ultimately help them achieve a more successful life.
Whether it is losing ten pounds, ending an addiction, severing toxic relationships or thinking more positively, transformation demands a strong willpower and desire to change. Embrace the upcoming New Year with excitement and with a desire to better oneself. Below are some tips to help transform your life for the New Year:
Try a new hobby. Starting a new hobby (or class) will introduce you to a new activity that can possibly take you out of your comfort zone. A new hobby will also provide a distraction from any bad habits you are trying to end in the New Year and have the added bonus of providing new social outlets.
Reprioritize things and people in your life. As we approach the New Year, take a look at your obligations and the people in your life and figure out what and who is truly is important. Cut out the negative ones and keep the ones that boost you up during good and bad times.
New look. Get a new haircut or a new wardrobe staple item that you will wear or use all the time, and begin your New Year with a new look. Embracing a change to your appearance will be a fresh start to your year.
Set small goals. Putting your goals on paper and making smaller goals in order to reach a larger goal will help provide reinforcement for your transformation. For example, making diet and exercise changes can be very challenging as you form new habits. Start small, for example, with the goal of taking the stairs up to your office desk every morning, and walking 15 minutes on your lunch break before sitting down to eat. Reaching success in small goals will help you to the build stamina needed to achieve success with larger goals.
Follow through. Although it might be difficult at first, follow through on your goals and in the end you will be rewarded. Again, it is easier to follow through with smaller goals first, and then build to larger ones.
Optimism. Replace self-defeating statements with positive ones. Adopting a positive attitude will allow you to be more successful in numerous aspects of your life.
Although it can be difficult, making a transformation can provide you with incredible physical, mental and social benefits. Every action, every habit, every inch you take can create life momentum that can spark a hot streak in your life. Momentum can turn into flow, which allows you to function at peak levels. Take a step today towards a life altering transformation.
To learn more, visit www.draldencass.com or call Dr. Cass directly at 646-202-9611.
DASHA® is a luxury lifestyle brand and New York City-based wellness center created to offer a truly holistic approach to wellness. To learn more, visit dashawellness.com.
