Anyone who’s ever made a New Year’s resolution has also probably also broken one. If you backslide while working toward a healthier lifestyle, you might feel a bit chagrined when your next family doctor visit rolls around.
Although you may have let your most recent resolutions fall by the wayside, don’t hold your lapse against yourself. Making changes always includes some slips, but it’s important not to let those slips completely derail your goals. Here are three things to keep in mind if you’re struggling to stay on track.
1. Forgive Yourself
When you’re trying to overcome a bad habit, you should know there will be times when you have a moment of weakness and engage in whatever habit you’re trying to break. Relapsing, or falling back into the habit completely, is also a common occurrence on the path to breaking a bad habit. Perfection isn’t possible, so just do your best, forgive yourself and move on.
2. Adjust Your Thinking
None of us is perfect, and we’re not expected to be. Healthy habits and behaviors are strengthened by maintaining a positive and optimistic viewpoint. Don’t tell yourself that you’ll never be able to quit, because that can only lead to failure. Instead, focus on your inner strength and repeatedly tell yourself that you can do it.
3. Adjust Your Goals
Making goals is easy, but making realistic goals can be very difficult. If you and your family doctor set a goal for your health that doesn’t seem to be working out, don’t be afraid to scale back a little. When you’re trying to quit a bad habit and live healthier, it’s far better to achieve a some of your goal than none at all.
