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New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be overwhelming. With guidance from LiveWell Dorset’s Sally, discover how to set goals that matter, stick to them, and support both your emotional and physical health.
Looking Ahead to 2026
With New Year approaching it’s a perfect time to start thinking about our resolutions and what 2026 might look like. These resolutions can be a really powerful tool to help improve our lives, as well as making a positive impact on those around us. But going from Christmas, and all the festivities that surround it, straight into our New Years goals, can be a shock to the system. So, remember...be kind to yourself, this is a gradual change and don’t forget to embrace the journey!
Keep in mind...
Tips to remember
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There are no quick fixes when it comes to making sustainable change.
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There are strategies for the things out of our heads - including realistic goal setting and accountability.
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There are strategies for the things in our heads - including self-talk, mindset tweaks, and self-compassion.
So, where to start?
We all have habits – both good and bad. Choosing which ones to focus on can be the first hurdle. What might be is useful is looking at areas of our lives where unhelpful habits are preventing us from reaching our full potential and getting the most out of life. Or where developing additional, positive habits could enrich our lives and improve our health and well-being.
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Things to consider for 2026!
Start Small:
- Begin with a manageable goal that you can achieve in a short period, such as setting aside 15 minutes for a daily exercise routine or making a list of daily tasks.
Be specific:
- Instead of vague goals like ‘get healthier’ specify what you want to achieve, such as ‘eat vegetables with every meal’ or ‘drink 2 litres of water each day’
Focus on the why:
- Focus on the Why: understand the deeper motivation behind your resolution. Reflect on why it matters to you and stay committed to it.
Habit stacking:
- Habit Stacking: pair your new habit with an existing one, like drinking coffee every morning and doing stretches immediately after.
Mindfulness and neuroscience:
- Mindfulness and neuroscience: incorporate mindfulness practices into your routine to stay grounded and focused on your goals.
All-round approach:
- All-round approach: balance your goals across physical, emotional and mental well-being to create a sustainable lifestyle. By following these steps, you can ease into your New Year’s resolutions and increase your chances of achieving them. Remember, it’s okay to make mistakes and to take things at your own pace.
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Tools and strategies to consider:
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‘Mindful Micro-momentum method’ (MMMM): focuses on small, consistent actions to build momentum and reinforce positive behaviours.
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Understand your habits: Keep a journal to track your habits, noting the cues, routines and rewards associated with each behaviour.
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Track your activity: self-monitoring your physical activity levels can be a great way to see your achievements, things like a smart watch, app on your phone or even just something as simple as an activity diary.
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Surround yourself with like-minded people striving for similar goals: it can be much easier to stick to a new habit or quit an unhealthy one if we surround ourselves with people who share similar behaviours. For example, if you’re looking to be more active, surrounding yourself with people with similar fitness goals or interests can help you stay on track.
No pressure, just progress
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Remember that habits are learned behaviours that can be changed at any time. It’s easy to see breaking an unhealthy habit or developing a new, positive one as a journey to becoming a new person entirely. But this can sometimes add pressure to the process and hinder your progress. The reality is that whether it’s building on positive habits or breaking down unhelpful ones, you already have it in you. For instance, if you’re trying to give up smoking, then it’s a case of returning to being a non-smoker (which you’ll have been at some point in your life). While this is often easier said than done, it can be comforting to remind yourself that you know you can live without certain behaviours, because you’ve done so in the past.
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Believe it to become it
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Visualise success and be kind to yourself if you hit a few bumps along the way: One of the things that often puts us off achieving our goals is convincing ourselves that we can’t do it. Worrying about setbacks or believing our hard work will be for nothing can mean we don’t commit. These thought processes are really demotivating and cause us to lose self-belief and start doubting our abilities. As a result, we may steer away from our goals and engage with more un unhealthy habits. However, spending a few minutes each day visualising yourself succeeding can be a really powerful tool. It helps to increase confidence and makes us believe in a positive future outcome. The more we believe in ourselves, and our ability to achieve what we set out to do, the more likely we are to put the work in and reach our goals.
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The rain won't stop us
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Repeat, repeat, repeat: If you feel that, even after a long time, you’re still having to put in lots of effort, it can feel disheartening. You might even assume that the process isn’t working. But this is not the case. Habits often form slowly, so you might not notice progress at first - which is why sticking with it matters. It can also take time to fully let go of old, unhealthy habits, even when you’re building positive ones. You might find yourself having moments of weakness, where you return to your old habit, and that’s okay. Acknowledge it, let it go, and return to your new habit. Change is absolutely possible, as long as you keep going.
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Final Thoughts
Developing positive habits also becomes really important during stressful times. Because habits become unconscious, they can strongly affect how we feel each day - even when we don’t realise it. That’s why it helps to make sure are habits are as positive as possible. Remember, try and enjoy the journey, embrace it, be kind to yourself and take things at your own pace.