It has begun. Halls are being decked, stockings are being hung, and an elves are sneaking onto our shelves. Maybe you are dreaming of a white Christmas, or maybe you dread the snow. Either way, the holiday season is upon us. Some people greet this time with smiles and laughter as jolly as Santa himself. Other people feel as though a polar bear has them in an arm bar. The holidays can be a difficult time. But as a new year rolls around, you can expect things to be different. Everyone you know will be turning over a new leaf in 2016. And you may want to as well. It can be difficult to stick with a resolution. So here are a few tips to help:

1) Be Unique in Your Resolution – A lot of resolutions feel like an old hat. Losing weight is overdone. Try having a fun resolution like wearing everything in your closet at least once within the year. What you do not wear is what you should get rid of. Or maybe resolve to do something silly like wear a fake mustache or talk with a funny accent once a week. Resolutions like this are more fun than losing weight, and you are more likely to do them

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2) Be Reasonable – Instead of trying to kick that bad habit cold turkey, try to make achievable, weekly goals that lead to one big one. For instance, if you want to eat healthier, try challenging yourself to eat one thing every color of the rainbow within a week. And Cheetos do not count as orange; try to stick with fruits and vegetables. When you meet these small goals, you will see the progress that you are making, and it can motivate you to keep going.

3) The New Year Can Start Anytime – Who says you have to wait? If there’s a change you want to see, make it happen. My new year started in October. If it is March and you want a do-over, then Happy New Year!

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4) Be Nice to Yourself – Change is hard. And progress is not typically made without some backtracking or lapses. And that is okay. You have to live your whole life with you. So forgive yourself when you make mistakes. You are only human, and mistakes are okay. If you are finding yourself hearing a mean voice in your head, shut that down. You would never talk to someone you love like that, so do not do it to yourself. No New Year’s resolution is worth that.

Good luck with your new year and Happy Holidays

– Bailey Pace, LBSPY #72. December 2015