Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions!
Get a load of this: the more you try to stick to your goal, the less likely you are to achieve it.
So says a new study by researchers at the University College London and Drexel University. The study found that people with “weak willpower” are even more easily derailed by external forces when they make commitments.
Forget about resolutions for good - here are some ways to actually improve your life:
*Think about your future self as someone else - not just who you currently are, but who you aspire to be.*Learn how habits work and get in charge of yours.*Find out how small changes can make a big difference over time.
The researchers at the University College London and Drexel University put 137 young adults through a series of experiments and found that while there may be an initial surge of motivation, sticking to New Year's resolutions is ultimately self-defeating.
"People with worse self-control are more likely than those with better self-control to have a goal related lapse," concluded the researchers. Their study showed that people with "weak willpower" are even more easily derailed by external forces when they make commitments.
The study also found that people who set goals that are reachable are less likely to give up in frustration if they can't meet their resolutions by a certain point of time.
"There are a lot of people who make resolutions at the beginning of the year, but by February they've already given up," said Christopher Bauman, assistant professor of marketing at Drexel's LeBow College of Business.
The way to stick to your resolutions and actually achieve them is to think about your future self as someone else - not just who you currently are, but who you aspire to be. "That helps you imagine that someday in the future you'll be a better person and reach your goal," said Bauman. "It's really just a way to mentally reframe and give yourself more time. Instead of thinking about the goal from a self-control perspective, think about it from a growth and learning perspective."
People with better self-control keep unhealthy habits in check by understanding what habits are and how they work. "With the right knowledge, you can take charge of your habit," says Bauman. "You can say, 'I want to make this change,' and then break down the process into something that makes more sense."
Bauman suggests thinking about an unhealthy habit you're trying to break. For example, if you drink too much coffee, you might be able to reduce your intake by taking smaller sips or by adding more milk or sugar so that it's less bitter.
"You can change just one tiny thing and it can have a compounding affect on your ultimate goal," Bauman says. "When you want to change behavior, changing small things is more likely to work than trying to be this different person overnight." Released from the pressure of New Year's resolutions, you're more likely to achieve your goals - and not just at the start of the year.
Source: Inc Psychology – by Corbett Barr 2012 - Original Article Source: http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/ditch-new-years-resolutions-6-ways-to-improve-yourself.html
Posted by Peter at 7:46 AM
I'm not a believer in the law of attraction but I do understand the concept behind it. Do you know where your energy comes from? The answers to this may surprise you!
INTRODUCTION
As you may or may not know, stress is considered to be a major source of health problems nowadays. It's true that stress has many negative effects on our health but what most people don't realise is that we can actually learn to manage, minimise and prevent stress in different ways. One way to deal with it is via positive affirmations and positive thinking. This is the origin of the Law of Attraction, but in this particular post I'm going to be sharing some physical solutions that can help reduce and manage stress.
INTRODUCTION TO THE STRESS CONNECTION
How do we manage stress? The first thing to realise is that we have a variety of abilities that help us adapt to our environment. When we're under stress, negative (or positively) charged ions in our brain interfere with the electrical impulses being sent out by different parts of our brain which are responsible for happiness and positive mental states. In other words when we're stressed our mood becomes lower.
INTRODUCTION TO NEGATIVE IONS
So how do we release these negative ions to let our brain work normally again? There are many ways to manage stress through positive thinking, but we also have very simple (although a little less convenient) solutions such as standing under a waterfall. When you stand underneath an actual waterfall the force of the water hitting your body will actually push all the excess negatively charged ions out of your body and in return you'll feel extremely happy and relaxed. Even if you can't find a waterfall try going out into nature for 10 minutes or so to get your daily intake of negative ions. The best thing about negative ions is that they're actually abundant in nature, you don't have to do anything to produce them, they simply exist around us.
INTRODUCTION TO IONIC FOOT BATHS
So if you can't find a waterfall or go out into nature every day how can you get your daily intake of negative ions? Well, there's a very simple solution that I've previously mentioned in my blog post about the health benefits of a Himalayan Salt Lamp . It's called an Ionic Foot Bath and it does exactly what its name suggests, it bathes your feet in negatively charged ions. This way you're giving your body the same benefits as a waterfall but in a more convenient and easier way. With an Ionic Foot Bath you don't even have to go out into nature every day to get these ions, all you need to do is place your feet into the solution for around 10 seconds then rinse them off with water.
INTRODUCTION TO THE BODY'S NATURAL AWARENESS
Now when you have negative ions in your body they actually begin to work on the receptors in your brain which are responsible for happiness and stress reduction, but there's a little more that can be done. We've seen how standing underneath a waterfall can make you feel happy, or even standing in nature, but that's not all. In fact, there are many ways to make you feel relaxed and happy and the best part is that it doesn't have to come from something external.
INTRODUCTION TO THE BODY'S NATURAL RELAXATION
Before I explain further let me just start off by saying that breathing is basically the only thing you need to do to relieve stress. When we take the time to breathe properly our body naturally sends out relaxing signals which begin to slow down our heart rate, reduce blood pressure and calm us down. So how do we breathe properly? Well here's a quick guide:
1.
Conclusion
If you've ever wondered how to manage stress then you've come to the right place. Not only will this guide explain in details what's going on in your brain when you're under stress but it will also provide you with simple and easy solutions which are completely free, and which are completely risk-free. If you have any questions at all about this article then please feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
Source: http://www.energyenhancement.