mental health - Hope Clinic Care

The beginning of a year feels like a fresh start, a new blank page for a lot of people. We aim to grow in every aspect of our lives: physically, mentally, financially, intellectually. That is why it’s common for us to create New Year’s resolution—a list of the things we would like to accomplish at the beginning of every year, yet unfortunately, it’s also common for us to quickly throw that list out the window. Research shows that only around 12% of people who make New Year’s resolution felt that they were successful in achieving their goals. But what if we can change the way we make a list of new year’s resolution, so that we can actually stick to them? Here are 5 tips on how to stick to your goals!

Make specific and realistic goals.

For example, you want to lose weight. Instead of only writing down “losing weight,” try also writing down the specific and achievable ways on how you’re going to do it, such as: hitting the gym 3-4 days a week, replacing ice cream with yogurt, sticking to the 50/25/25 eating rule, etc. This way, you won’t feel like your goals are too unattainable and overwhelming.

Take it one step at a time.

You probably have a lot of things you’d like to change about yourself. However, taking on too much and too quickly is a common reason why so many New Year’s resolutions fail. Just like unhealthy habits and behaviors develop over time, it will take an even longer time to replace those with better and healthier ones. So, take it one step at a time. Change your habits one by one, and keep working toward your goals.

Replace “problematic” behaviors with positive ones.

If you resolve to do less of something, changing that behavior is more likely to come with a sense of deprivation. Once you restrict an activity that’s been a regular part of your life, you’ll have a strong urge and craving to get back to it. To manage this, prioritize an alternative behavior that seems like a reasonable substitute for whatever you’re hoping to limit. For instance, instead of “smoking less,” try “do meditation.” Instead of “not watching TV before bed,” consider “reading a book before bed.”

Prepare useful responses when setbacks happen.

Remember, change isn’t linear. You will not always have good days. You will not always feel motivated. You might even relapse. But when this happens, don’t see it as a failure! Pick yourself up and try again. Take a moment to reflect on yourself, perhaps write things down in a journal, such as: when did the relapse occur, what might have triggered it, and what can you do differently next time.

Surround yourself with a good support system.

It might help to share your goals and experiences with the ones you love and trust, allowing them to stay with you throughout your journey. It is not going to be easy, so it’s important for you to have someone to lean on. A solid support system will also help you to be accountable for your New Year’s resolution.

It has been a little over a year. Lives changed, the ways we do certain things as we knew it have changed, too. Obviously, it’s not easy for anyone, and we’re all coping differently. Aside from the impact of the pandemic toward public health, businesses have faced serious problems as well. Some have completely messed up their work life balance, some have lost their previous jobs, some are barely surviving, some are trying to find and create new opportunities. Plenty of business sectors are affected, from the smaller ones to the larger corporations. Now, working from home is the new normal—but the lines of work life balance are getting blurry.

Traditional working hours have gone out of the window. Since most people are working from home, it’s harder to set boundaries between work and personal life. It’s even more challenging for the ones who have other responsibilities to do at home. Suddenly, we’re bringing work everywhere: to our bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, etc. That’s why it’s essential to figure out ways to manage work life balance.

To do so, there are several levels of control we need to be aware of. If we’re not careful, it’s so easy to lose ourselves in the process.

Segmenting

This is the work life balance ideal we hear so much about. It’s where we keep work and life separate and why we head for the office when we could work from home, why we put on our smart clothes, why we talk about the nine-to-five. Many of us strive for it—and sometimes we even manage to pull it off.

Integrating

We sometimes try to amalgamate our “work” and “life” identities into a seamless whole. We have flexible boundaries—say, by working at home during school holidays. There can be an element of disruption, but it’s because we like it that way, and we still retain control.

Importing

When it suits us, we’re happy to import things from one sphere to another. It could be something as straightforward as talking about work at home or home at work. Crucially, in such instances we decide how much to give and when.

Seeping

This is where we start to lose control. We can’t stop the two worlds from entering each other’s orbit. Worrying about work deadlines at the dinner table, wondering about the kids’ forgotten football kit during a conference—the effect can be positive or negative.

Invading

Here the sense of disorder and the consequent loss of control become significant. The impingement of one sphere on the other might be physical or emotional. A loved one being rushed into hospital is an obvious example.

Overwhelming

Now imagine a loved one is diagnosed with a serious condition. Suddenly, the emotions associated with one domain completely overpower the other. All control is gone. Disorder dominates. There’s little hope of balance now.

Working more hours doesn’t equal increased productivity. It’s quite the contrary, actually. After approximately 50 hours a week, productivity starts to decline, because it limits your creativity and capabilities to produce maximum results. Your brain and your body need rest.

There are some things you can do to unplug, unwind, and learn to manage your work life balance:

Make realistic goals and let go of perfectionism.
Set clear priorities.
Set boundaries, learn to say no.
Create moments of stillness.
Connect with others (who are not your colleagues!).
Move around! Make time for a little exercise.
Don’t forget to do the things and hobbies that make you happy!

If it’s been tough and exhausting for you, and you simply don’t know what to do, seeking a professional might help. It’s okay to not have it all together, especially at times like this.

Make specific and realistic goals.

Take it one step at a time.

Replace “problematic” behaviors with positive ones.

Prepare useful responses when setbacks happen.

Surround yourself with a good support system.

Read more:

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolutions-2795719

https://www.apa.org/topics/behavioral-health/new-year-resolutions

To do so, there are several levels of control we need to be aware of. If we’re not careful, it’s so easy to lose ourselves in the process.

Segmenting

Integrating

We sometimes try to amalgamate our “work” and “life” identities into a seamless whole. We have flexible boundaries—say, by working at home during school holidays. There can be an element of disruption, but it’s because we like it that way, and we still retain control.

Importing

When it suits us, we’re happy to import things from one sphere to another. It could be something as straightforward as talking about work at home or home at work. Crucially, in such instances we decide how much to give and when.

Seeping

This is where we start to lose control. We can’t stop the two worlds from entering each other’s orbit. Worrying about work deadlines at the dinner table, wondering about the kids’ forgotten football kit during a conference—the effect can be positive or negative.

Invading

Here the sense of disorder and the consequent loss of control become significant. The impingement of one sphere on the other might be physical or emotional. A loved one being rushed into hospital is an obvious example.

Overwhelming

Now imagine a loved one is diagnosed with a serious condition. Suddenly, the emotions associated with one domain completely overpower the other. All control is gone. Disorder dominates. There’s little hope of balance now.

Working more hours doesn’t equal increased productivity. It’s quite the contrary, actually. After approximately 50 hours a week, productivity starts to decline, because it limits your creativity and capabilities to produce maximum results. Your brain and your body need rest.

There are some things you can do to unplug, unwind, and learn to manage your work life balance:

Make realistic goals and let go of perfectionism.

Set clear priorities.

Set boundaries, learn to say no.

Create moments of stillness.

Connect with others (who are not your colleagues!).

Move around! Make time for a little exercise.

Don’t forget to do the things and hobbies that make you happy!

If it’s been tough and exhausting for you, and you simply don’t know what to do, seeking a professional might help. It’s okay to not have it all together, especially at times like this.

Read more:

https://theconversation.com/is-it-even-possible-to-have-a-work-life-balance-54188

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurathomas/2021/03/29/improving-work-life-balance-is-there-such-a-thing-as-business-hours-anymore/?sh=53464fc32e69