Are your 2024’s resolutions feasible?
The arrival of a new year allows everyone a start fresh. It opens new windows of hope y oportunidades. We’re also presented with the chance to plan a strategy that allows us hacer cambios that benefit our financial, physical and emotional well-being. As we rang in 2024, many of us ate 12 grapes and mientras las saboreábamos, and we attached a resolution to each one. Cada deseo had something to do with improving our diets, exercising, adopting healthier habits, traveling or making more money.
But let’s be honest, “Del dicho al hecho hay un largo trecho”. It’s not enough to just have goals or desires to change our lifestyle, it requires a defined plan that starts from within. Resolutions can be accomplished with the appropriate strategic plans, as well as the discipline, determination, and perseverance needed to remain focused and concentrated on those changes we know will yield the results we need and want to see in our lives. Si se puede!
The American Psychological Association establishes that the New Year is not the right time to make extraordinary changes, but rather to establish moderate and achievable goals throughout the next 12 months. Making achievable resolutions improves the likelihood that you’ll stick to them throughout the year by incorporating healthy behaviors into your daily routines.
Check out the following recommendations to achieve your goals for 2024.
• Start in moderation. Make resolutions you think you can keep. If, for example, your goal is to exercise more frequently, plan to go to the gym three or four times a week, instead of seven days a week. If you would like to eat healthier, try replacing dessert with another food you enjoy, such as fruit or yogurt, instead of seeing the diet as a punishment. Pozole y pan no se llevan con el ejercicio.
• Change one behavior at a time. Harmful behavior develops over time. So replacing unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones also takes time. Don’t get discouraged or think you need to reevaluate everything in your life. Instead, make the effort to change one thing at a time. Poquito a poquito y despacio.
• Converse, talk. Share experiences with your family and friends. Consider joining a goal support group, such as an exercise class at a gym or a group of colleagues who are in the process of quitting smoking. Having someone to share your struggles and successes with will make your path to a healthy life much easier and cause you less worry.
• Don’t get frustrated. Perfection is not attainable. Remember that making minor mistakes in the process of achieving goals is normal. Don’t give up completely because you ate a chocolate cake and broke your diet, or because you stopped going to the gym for a week because you were busy. Everyone has their ups and downs. Resolve to recover from your mistakes and move on. ¡Roma no se construyó en un día!
• Ask for support. Accepting help from the people who love you most and who will listen to you will give you strength in your duty and the ability to handle the stress caused by resolutions. If you feel distressed or unable to achieve your goals on your own, considera pedir ayuda de un profesional. Psychologists are trained to understand the mind-body connection, can help you change unhealthy behavior, and talk about emotional issues.
Hoy es un buen día para empezar a hacer tus sueños realidad. Atrévete a soñar y a trabajar por ese sueño.
