Resolutions Worth Keeping

It’s the beginning of another new year which means it’s time for New Year’s resolutions. Were you able to make progress or maybe even complete some of the resolutions you made last year? It’s okay if your plans derailed – no one imagined that 2020 would unfold the way that it did.

This year you have another chance to work toward the resolutions that fell to the side in 2020. This past year shifted many people’s perspectives, as they may have questioned their priorities.

You may have had a similar experience. Maybe you realized some needed adjustments in your own life during the course of 2020 and now want to make lifelong changes. As you sit down to create new resolutions for 2021, let’s try setting resolutions worth keeping. Try asking yourself: Are the things that were important to me last year, still important to me this year? Making long-term resolutions can help you embark on a substantial change in your life. Maybe this year, you decide that lifelong recovery from an eating disorder is your primary goal.

Facing the reality of an eating disorder is not easy but it is certainly a New Year’s resolution worth keeping.

Making a Substantial Change to Your Lifestyle

Creating substantial change can be challenging and takes an intentional commitment.

Change requires a great amount of strength, commitment, and consistency, with the help of courage, persistence, and support. Creating substance lifestyle changes is challenging but the results of your effort far outweigh the struggles.

Commit to Being a Better Version of Yourself

Creating a better version of yourself takes dedication, determination, and support. Challenging yourself means that you will make mistakes. It is all about your reaction to those mistakes that continue to help you grow and develop. Becoming a better version of yourself means that you acknowledge those mistakes, give yourself grace for your faults, and commit to keeping your intentional focus on yourself. Setting up a support system to help keep you accountable is a great way to continue to ensure you are maintaining your commitment to yourself. Let them know if you are struggling and invite them to give you honest and direct feedback. Again, we all make mistakes, but in order to commit to a better version of yourself, you have to be willing to maintain accountability.

Avoiding the diet fads January brings with it a barrage of unsustainable fads and crash diets. Everywhere you look there’s another person pushing the latest version of an unsustainable diet. These diet fads are detrimental to your recovery and far from a resolution that is worth keeping. Take some time to notice when you are feeling a push towards diet fads and weight-loss gimmicks. Reach out to your support system to let them know how you are feeling. This may also be a good time to take a break from the media outlets that instill the bulk of your anxiety about weight-loss.

Break Resolutions Down into Small, Achievable Goals

Substantial life changes take time. That’s why it is important to break resolutions down into small, achievable goals. Having small goals that break up larger resolutions gives you the frequent pushes you need to keep moving forward.

Think about when you have a large list of things to do. If you start out with all the big tasks, it’s a bit discouraging to not cross anything off your list. Instead, try finishing the small tasks first and then move towards the bigger tasks. Therefore, you can have the satisfaction of crossing more things off of your task list. Resolutions worth keeping work the same exact way. Break your large goal down into smaller things you can accomplish in a shorter amount of time.

Focus on Steady Progression Instead of Massive Changes

What was the last big thing you accomplished? Maybe it felt like you weren’t doing very much on a day to day or week to week basis. How about when you looked back after a month, six months, or a year? Massive change only comes as a result of steady progression. Setting resolutions worth keeping means you have to focus on that steady progression over time instead of massive, short-term changes.

Surround Yourself with Support

Resolutions worth keeping aren’t always going to be easy. There will be days you wonder why you ever started, days where you want to forget about it and give up. Therefore it is crucial to surround yourself with support as you start setting these resolutions.

Make 2021 the Year to Flourish

2020 was a challenging year for everyone. Whether you acknowledged an eating disorder for the first time or slipped back into old behaviors, this can be the year you take the next step to lifelong recovery.

If you’re ready to make a lasting change in your life, Toledo Center is here to help. Our team of experts understands the challenges faced when recovering from an Eating Disorder. We offered individualized, evidence-based plans to ensure that you and your loved ones are supported every step of the way. There is hope for healing and recovery at Toledo Center. Make the decision to ask for help today.