Putting the resolve into resolutions

Every year thousands of people decide to make changes in their habits, lifestyles or addictions when the new year starts. Even with the best of intentions and good, old fashioned willpower, a great number of those people will be reverting back to their old ways in no time at all.

Often, people fail because they are battling against themselves – remember the times when part of you still wanted that old habit, but the other part wanted to get away from it? That is the conscious, reasoning part of your brain arguing with your emotional subconscious, which is really just looking for a quick fix to make it feel better. Only we know that the quick-fix doesn’t last and will only make you feel worse in the long run. 

This is where hypnotherapy can really excel to help people like you achieve their goals in a number of ways. Hypnotherapy creates unity between the conscious and subconscious mind so that the power of your subconscious mind will be on board and working towards the same end result, instead of sabotaging your conscious efforts.

The therapy can support you to improve your confidence and self-esteem, so that you start to feel good about yourself and your ability to change. When you feel good inside then your heartfelt dreams, goals and wishes all seem so much easier. 

Once you feel that true sense of positivity, power and motivation, then even cravings for things like sugary food or cigarettes can reduce or be eliminated entirely because you know that you can deal with things in a more resourceful way. Things that used to bother you in the past just don’t seem to trigger you in the same way.

When both parts of your brain are working together for the goals that you want, you will be unstoppable and because hypnotherapy works specifically with the subconscious part of the mind, it can make change feel natural and very straightforward. 

Once you have decided that hypnotherapy can help you achieve a successful outcome, here are some other suggestions that can work alongside the therapy to ensure you are super-prepared prior to your first appointment.

• Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to decide what your resolution will be. Think about it now and get a clear picture in your mind about what that will involve.

• Plan what steps you will be doing to progress your goals. Some resolutions are about ‘not doing’, for example quitting an addiction like smoking. If this is the case you can plan what you will be doing instead of smoking.

• Write a list of two columns, one negative and one positive. Populate the list with all the good things you will be achieving by sticking to your resolutions and in the other column write down all the bad stuff, including feelings, that you will be moving away from. Put it somewhere you can see it so that you will be reminded of why your resolutions are important.

• Tell other people what your resolutions are and also write them down somewhere. When we commit things to paper and go public then we are inclined to feel more committed towards our goals.

• If you know someone else who is planning a similar resolution to yourself, join forces to motivate each other and keep each other on track. When one of you is feeling weak, let the other one be strong.

• Practice some positive mental rehearsal. Allow yourself to daydream about how good life will be when you have achieved your goal.  This reinforces your intention in the subconscious mind.

• Sometimes the ‘big picture’ is just too monumental and it’s easy to feel daunted. Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable and, if necessary, break them down into smaller parts.

• Today is where the power is. Simply put, nothing you do will change your past so if you have slipped up and your resolutions seem set to dissolve, take a moment to get back on track and stop beating yourself up. What you do right now is what will move you nearer to the future that you want. And that future won’t happen unless you make the changes now. 

• Repeat good actions and things that keep you moving towards your goals. Repetition creates habits and it is your habits that make you who you are.

• Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many resolutions. Just pick one and stick to it. 

• Lastly, have fun, enjoy Christmas and the New Year.

If you would like help with your New Year Resolutions, contact a hypnotherapist who will help you achieve a wonderful and amazing 2018.