Jan 4, 2017 6 min read

The day that this publication comes out is just five days into 2017. Gyms are likely packed, fresh fruits and veggies are probably stocked in many refrigerators and a number of people are probably spending less money on cigarettes. But how long will this be the case? According to an article in New York Magazine in 2016, a little more than 50 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, and a mere 8 percent of those who make resolutions actually keep them. We spoke with Dr. Anne Murphy, PhD, a licensed psychologist for Washington Health System, about the psychology behind wanting to wake up a brand new person on Jan. 1 (or for some, Jan. 2). She offers insight on the reasons, and tips to keep your resolutions going strong.

What is it about a new year that makes people want to start fresh?

The new year offers us an opportunity for reflection and renewal. As the new year rings in, many of us have strong intentions to make one or more new year’s resolutions. Most common among these sorts of resolutions is to lose weight, exercise, stop smoking and/or spend more time with family. In this way, the new year provides a source of external motivation for us to apply a reset button and transform our bad habits into healthier ones. Many of us look to the new year as a jump start for positive change that may lead to better health, connection with others, and/or increased productivity.

How realistic is it to really change and keep a new year’s resolution?

While it is entirely realistic to change and keep our new year’s resolutions, so many of our new year’s resolutions fail. One of the reasons why is because we did not take the time to understand why we developed bad habits in the first place. Whether it is emotional eating, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, overworking or financial mismanagement, there is always a reason why unhealthy habits are in place. Until we realize the purpose of these unhealthy methods of coping, we will not have a good chance of making and keeping healthy life-style changes. Often the bad habits we wish to get rid of are helping us to cope with stress or to self-soothe in some manner. Becoming more aware of the ways our bad habits are working for us is the first step toward making the lasting new year’s resolutions we desire.

How can people get into a mind-set to be successful at keeping their resolutions?

We are more likely to be successful at keeping our new year’s resolutions in place when we aim to develop intrinsic motivation for change, rather than relying upon external events and milestones. Increasing intrinsic motivation may involve increasing self-awareness, striving to remain mindful of the present moment, and shoring up our skill sets that will help us to keep the changes we wish to keep.

• Increasing self-awareness: In Charles Duhigg’s book entitled “The Power of Habit,” he provides a lot of insight into the way our habits work and how to go about replacing bad ones with good ones. Duhigg explains that our habits usually involve a trigger, routine and reward. When we make new year’s resolutions, it is helpful to take a close look at the habit we wish to change and understand the triggers, routine and rewards that are sustaining the bad habit. For example, the sight of the TV remote may serve as a trigger after you get home from work to sink into the couch, watch TV and eat a tasty snack, instead of exercising for 30 minutes.

• Remaining mindful of the present moment: Habits are automatic; we tend to do them without thinking. The automatic nature of our habits is to our advantage because it enables our minds to focus on other activities. For example, when we brush our teeth in the morning, we are able to think about the things we need to get done that day. While the automatic nature of habits such as brushing our teeth serves us well, the problem is that our brains do not distinguish between good habits and bad habits. When we wish to make new year’s resolutions, it is important to become more mindful of our habitual patterns of behavior that we need to adjust.

• Shoring up our skill sets: Many find that they maintain their new year’s resolutions for a while but when stress increases or a loss occurs, the resolutions crumble. If we don’t have the skills required to keep our new year’s resolutions, we will not be successful at keeping them. Prior to making our new year’s resolutions, it is important to focus on the development of the skills we need to ensure our success. Cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness and stress management skills are among the most important personal skill sets to develop and put in place prior to making our new year’s resolutions. These skill sets help us understand our thoughts, behaviors and rewards that maintain our bad habits so that we can plug in new rewards for healthier habits and plan for ways to manage stress. For example, if our resolution is to exercise after work each day, we need to look at ways to make the exercise rewarding and enjoyable. We need to create a craving for exercise that will provide a reward (e.g., stress relief and social connection). When we approach new year’s resolutions in this fashion, we are less likely to abandon our resolutions when everyday stressors and demands in life increase.

If old habits start to creep back in, how can people keep from getting completely discouraged and continue to move forward?

Research on habits helps us to understand why old habits die hard. It appears that we have a very strong memory for old habits that can be easily triggered again under certain circumstances. The best way to keep from getting completely discouraged if we find that old habits are creeping back is to acknowledge and accept feelings and avoid self-criticism. Aiming to be less judgmental about ourselves and more focused on the development of skills that we need to put in place to ensure our success is a better way of moving forward and staying on course with our resolutions. n