New year, new you?

It is that time again, when we feel that we should have a New Year’s resolution to give ourselves a new beginning. Sadly, it is too easy to be swept along by the enthusiasm of our peers and an over reliance on the “wish” to succeed. There is, like many things in life, a need to plan the change we are seeking.

Whether you want to stop smoking or lose weight, decide the time you want to start from e.g. probably not a good idea to start to lose weight on Christmas or New Year’s Eve or to stop smoking before going to a party to celebrate the New Year. Chose a time when you are busy with as little stress as possible, accepting that some level of stress is inevitable. It is generally a mistake to wait for days off or a holiday, because you then have the added problem of occupying your mind to avoid over thinking about the change you are seeking to make.

Look to anticipate the kinds of issues or problems you may encounter e.g. decrease in calories or loss of patience. There is a solution! Have a supply of healthy eating options e.g. fruit pieces, cut vegetable pieces etc. If you are concerned about a loss of patience with loved ones or colleagues, take a short time out break, complete a short exercise burst. If these are really impossible, practice breathing as deeply as you can for a couple of minutes. These strategies will assist you when you need to use them.

Generally, you should avoid substitutes e.g. low calorie foods or patches as they delay the changes in your taste buds which are essential for long-term weight loss or they elongate the dependency on nicotine.

A powerful tool is to take five minutes, ideally twice every day, to sit down with your eyes closed, breathe deeply and imagine yourself as the person who has lost weight or stopped smoking. You need to use your imagination to begin to feel proud of the change you have made, see yourself in different situations, hear the positive comments your friends and loved ones are making about you, imagine the impact of the change on your health, finances and choices etc.

If you find that after a few days or one or two weeks you are still struggling with the changes you want to make, firstly congratulate yourself for making such a positive decision and staying with it without assistance. However, you should now consider the assistance of a professional hypnotherapist, who will assist you to uncover the emotional drivers for the problem and teach you hypnotic strategies to run your life in a more effective way thereby assisting you achieve success.

It is important that as a human being, throughout our lives we have benefited from help and assistance and addressing and achieving a New Year’s resolution is no different, so be proud of the decision you have made and the success you will achieve.