Following through on our resolutions
As 2016 draws to a close, a new year is fast approaching.
(awww yeah!)
Part of the new year is making resolutions. Whether it's to exercise more, get started on that novel or story you're writing or something else, resolutions can be hard to follow through on.
Join us next Monday, 19th at 8pm AEDT where, we'll be talking about how to get started on any changes that you might like to make, either now or in the new year, and make them stick.
What can you do if you find that you're struggling to achieve your resolutions?
- Rally support to help you!
- Don't beat yourself up
- Take a step back for a moment and chill
- Re-evaluate your goals and check you're not trying to do too much too quickly or it's not the right time to be working on that goal
@May_Sounds like an awesome idea though. I may just give it a try since I live with things I could probably live without. Like all those minties wrappers :
@loves netballHey! Thanks for the idea of printing out the strengths list. Might be a great idea to keep me going!
Does anyone have any final thoughts before we all get some sleep?
I think I'm about to neglect all mine - I'll probably hit a low soon and then I'll be like "I just agreed to run a marathon and it's @Ben-RO's fault"
@loves netball D/on't lose faith in yourself, you're capable of more than you realise. Also, small goals - focus on the steps needed to work towards running a marathon rather than the marathon itself. I know I'd freak if I was contemplating running a marathon! Dealing with mental illness is kind of like running a marathon too, so again, small goals.
Goodnight everyone! 🙂
For those who couldn't join us tonight and want to join the conversation at a later stage here is a list of the questions:
Thanks everyone, I really enjoyed reading over all your responses!!
@stonepixie I sort of agree with you that new years resolutions are a bit nonsensical, mostly because I suck at sticking to them so it feels a bit pointless. But I think people like the idea that the new year is a fresh start, and an opportunity to let got of the previous year, and any bad habits/stuff that happened that year. The thing is though, going from the 31st of Dec to the 1st of Jan is literally just a new day, so really EVERY DAY can actually be this fresh start or clean start that people think they need in order to make a change, and let go of things that happened in the the past, even the previous day…
My cousin recently introduced me to the concept of setting daily intentions. They relate to the SMART goals @Ben-RO mentioned, as the intentions are meaningful but they differ in that they focus on who you are or want to be in the moment, as opposed to goals which are often future focused. Setting intentions can help to fuel your ability to achieve goals by raising your motivation and awareness, which can help transision new effortful behavioural changes into more automatic habits over time!!
I'm just starting to encorporate this into my life and keep forgetting to set intentions lol like any new behaviour I know it will take some time before I'm automatically setting intentions all throughout the day.. But I'm enjoying paying attention to what I want to get out of each day rather than sort of absent mindedly floating through the day, which is how I usually role 
@May_I really loved your resolution about getting rid of items that don’t make you happy or serve a purpose! I will definitely be checking out this minimalism documentary you mentioned 
@loves netball you make an excellent point - that once you remove sometihing i.e. eating tim tams that you actually reach a point where you no longer need/want them anymore!
OMG @RevzZ so relatable hahahha I’ve lost count of the number of all nighters I’ve pulled and every time I’m like NEVER AGAIN!! Yet somehow, a couple of weeks later, its 2am and my essay is due in 10 hours and I’m like WHHHYYYYYY?!?!?! HOW AM I DOING THIS AGAIN!??!?
@May_@loves netballthe back of the toilet door is also another good place to stick your resolutions/strengths lists so you see them everyday! Conveniently it includes a comfortable seat perfect for pondering life/goals/strengths
@loves netball there will always be lows. When that happens it's about looking after yourself, getting through the distress amd stress and then after that, when you're feeling a bit more at peace it's marathon practice time. Does that kinda make sense?
Definitely agree with @Ben-RO here @loves netball, its about preparing yourself for your future problems and forgiving yourself as well when you're not up to it! We all have bad days!
I would like to talk with you (and anyone else who's interested)! But for now i need to sleep, and also deal with the horrible Sunscreen allergy that i have right now, lol 😛
@May_ Awesome job tonight! This is a great topic that absolutely everyone can relate to!
In summary I'd say, set small reasonable goals, do whatever works best for you to make it happen, be kind to yourself and get help when you need it!
What can you do if you find that you're struggling to achieve your resolutions?
Find a new place for them on my wall, re-vamp the goals (change them a bit or a lot if need be), talk to others who are motivated, watch motivating media related to that particular goal, reflect on why I set the goal in the first place
@Randomness thanks heaps
I could also ask people at uni too - I'd go up to them and be like "can we talk about running?"
Come on RO and talk about it 🙂 haha but also re-evaluate so think about what my goals are and sort of reset them. I think the good thing about goals is that you can constantly re-evaluate and revamp them where as resolution kind of makes it finite? I dont know. I think discussing it and thinking about how i can break it down into steps is definitely a good step.
Also all my resolutions involve other people, they involve inititative from me but they involve connecting with other people so I think being kind and conscious of others is important!
What things can you put in place to help you achieve your resolutions or goals?
To write them down in a decorative way (put time into it - make them pretty!) and put them on your wall where you will see them everyday! I think one of my biggest issue with achieving goals is forgetting about them!
I really like the idea of getting help with your resolution, so telling your friends (or even us) about what you'd like to have a go at, and getting their support can make it a lot easier to keep going. So I am gonna do that, maybe I will ask you folks to help me figure out how to plan for a trip (or two) overseas. Maybe we can have resolution planning threads! OMG i'm so excited 😛
Let us know how we can all support you @loves netball we'd love to help in any way way can 🙂
