How to Stick to Your New Year's Resolutions?

There are several reasons why it's tough to keep a New Year's resolution, and why more than 80 percent of them fail. Many of us make goals that are too vague, too difficult, or not true to ourselves. Hence, here are few tips to help you stick to your new year's resolutions this year. On the other hand, there are people who make resolutions, stick with them, and succeed. How do they do it?

Pauline Wallin, Ph.D., psychologist and author of "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating Behavior" advises people to develop a realistic plan, build in imperfections and focus on small victories along the way.

"When we make New Year's resolutions, we tend to underestimate how uncomfortable it's going to be," said Wallin. "When the discomfort sets in that's when we are at risk for not sticking to our resolutions. Your plan needs to include what you want to accomplish and how you will accomplish it as well as how you will deal with the predictable temptations, discomfort, and setbacks."

Wallin offers these additional tips for making resolutions stick:

• Be sure your goal is motivated by something that you want for yourself, not to impress or please others.
• Set up accountability mechanisms for yourself and possibly with someone else who is going through the same thing.
• Be mindful of how you talk to yourself. Avoid using catastrophic language like "awful" or "horrible" when you're faced with obstacles or setbacks.
• Be kind to yourself, but firm in your expectations. You may need to adjust your expectations as you go along.

Source-Eurekalert