We’ve all done it. Made the new year's resolution and been really good at doing it, and then we’ve been really good at giving up! Come spring, what’s left?
Hum, thought so…
A resolution is a new habit that we want to install. To make your new year’s resolution stick this year, you need to understand how to shift a new year's resolution from a wishey washey thing that might or might not happen to a firmly rooted habit.
What could make the difference?
What could help you not only start a new habit but stick to it?
And how can hypnotherapy help?
Habits
A habit is a routine, something we do automatically because it offers us a certain reward. To put in place a new habit we need to look at the reward.
We must answer this question: What do I want to achieve?
Be precise, clear, and realistic.
For example, this year I took up jogging. An unrealistic goal for me would have been: to run a marathon. One that I felt I could achieve and meant something to me was: to run for 30- 45 mins 3 times and week and feel good.
Then, sit down and write in one positive, simple sentence your reason WHY. Make this WHY as clear and precise as you can and then keep this reason WHY near you. Write it by your bedside table, put it on the fridge, or have it as a screen saver. This reason WHY is your reward.
You need to remember and feel it, not look baffled when someone asks you: Why have you decided to do this?
Your reason why
My reason WHY for wanting to jog 30-45 mins: to be fit and healthy so that I can enjoy hiking in the French mountains I love. This is my reward.
Once you have your WHY, then turn to the HOW. How am I going to make this happen in real life with all of its time pressures and ups and downs?
Plan the time in your day to give your new habit life and space. If it’s squeezed out and at the bottom of the list it will never ever happen.
Consider the material things you might need to give yourself a fair chance of achieving your goal. I invested in new running shoes and ear pods to listen to the coach on my running app while out. What do you need?
Be accountable. Tell other people what you’re doing, that way you feel more that you have to do what you said you were going to do! When you speak out loud and give voice to your intention, you breathe life into it.
As you put your new habit in place, older, unhelpful habits and thoughts may sometimes rear their heads and sometimes it will be hard to resist their persistence. Don't give up at the first mental hurdle if you slip up, forget, don't feel like it, or sometimes can't be bothered.
You don’t have to be perfect, just consistent. Installing a new habit takes time and patience.
Yes, I confess, sometimes I hit the snooze dial and didn't get my kit on and go out, but mostly I got out there and ran. And the more you 'do' your new habit, the more the rewards linked to it become stronger, and the more you want to do it.
In my case, I started to feel stronger, I enjoyed the feeling I had after my run and my easier-fitting jeans!
You create a positive, virtuous upward moving spiral.
How can cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy help a habit stick?
Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy can help you recognise and dim down the negative self-sabotaging voice that is telling you that you’ll fail, that you’re not good enough, and that it’s pointless. You learn to answer back to those thoughts and challenge their truth. The more you do this, the more your confidence grows.
Hypnosis can help you visualise and experience the reward and fantastic high of achieving your new habit. When you are in hypnosis you truly are there in your imagination, and the empowering feelings and thoughts remain deep within you long after the hypnotherapy session.
Using hypnois you can install a positive, strong anchor to use when you feel like giving up or when you need an extra boost. It can help you strengthen your confidence and self-belief through positive suggestions while in hypnosis.
My goals
Did I achieve my goal this year? Yep.
Did I hike up those French mountains? Yep.
Did I use CB hypnotherapy to help me? Yep.
Am I going to continue jogging in 2023? Yes, because it is now a firmly-rooted habit in my life
How about you? What new habit do you want to make stick in 2023?