Choose Just One Resolution and Write Your Story
If you are going to set New Year’s Resolutions around starting an exercise program, losing weight, emotional eating, etc. how do you know what ‘goals’ are important? One way to go about this is to think about the things that continue to get in your way of change and one way to do that is to keep a journal.
Write your story
Here is a good way to set the stage for your New Year’s Resolutions and your journal writing. And rather than thinking about 5-6 things you want to change this year, choose that one thing that you’ve really struggled with (a long term goal: starting an exercise program, losing weight, emotional eating, etc.), write short term, realistic goals (eat vegetables at every dinner, drink 64 oz. of water everyday, exercise 3 days a week, etc.) and find successes in those short term goals to motivate you to continue.
- Write your current life story centered around whatever it is that you want to resolute.
- Write a story about what you want your life look like. What do you really want?
- Write down what is getting in the way of you reaching your goal.
This will give you deeper awareness around the situation, give you clarity around what you really want and help you to understand what’s getting in the way so that you can move around those things.
Journal
Journaling sounds scary and complicated but it doesn’t have to be. Journaling can be done in whatever form you want: long paragraphs, short paragraphs, words, phrases, pictures, daily, weekly, etc. There is no right or wrong. It just has to work for you. The key is consistency so when you find a method that works for you stick with it. For example is it works for you to write one short paragraph every morning when you wake up that is what you should do.
The benefits of writing
- Writing gives you an opportunity to become aware of the intricacies involved with what is or is not happening. So often we are hurrying through our lives and we don’t see/hear what is actually happening. Writing gives you an opportunity to see/hear more closely. It gives you information; information to change. For example, I didn’t have those cookies on my grocery list but I bought them anyway and oh yeah I went to the grocery store hungry. 🙂
- Writing also allows you to get rid of negative thoughts and emotions. The act of writing is cathartic and it takes information out of your head and puts it somewhere else so that you don’t continue to ruminate on those thoughts.
- Writing gives you an opportunity to look back at what you’ve written which often times can be very effective for figuring out why something might be going really well or why it might not be going really well.
The connection btw journaling and making change
The main motivation behind my suggesting you keep a journal is so you will begin thinking about what mental challenges get in the way of your starting an exercise program, losing weight, emotional eating, etc. Journals help you become aware of and clarify what mental challenges that are occurring and will help you to see the effects of those mental challenges on your your life. With awareness, you can then choose to do something toward making a change regardless of how challenging the situation is.
Here is my New Year’s Challenge for you: try journaling, with honesty and sincerity, for one month and if it doesn’t work for you, stop doing it. What do you have to lose? You actually have everything to gain!
Free webinar on weight loss
If your new years resolution is to lose weight and get healthy get a jump start. I am offering a free webinar on weight loss on December 30th from Noon-1. You can sign up right here on my website from the home page. It’s called ‘Getting What you Want This Year!’
6-week emotional eating group
During the free webinar I will talk about my NEW and exciting 6 week tele-group on emotional eating.
Happy Holidays!
Dr. Michelle
Photo credit: cyart.blogspot.com
