5 Reachable Resolutions for a Healthy Mind

Resolutions are notorious for falling by the
wayside a few months or even days into the
New Year. A 2012 University of Scranton study
revealed that only 8 percent of people who
make New Year's resolutions are successful in
achieving them. This low success rate may
relate to the fact that many of us are more
inclined to center our resolutions on self-
criticism than on real aspirations or desires.
Rarely do we set a goal to spend more time
joking around with friends or listening to music
we enjoy. Rather, our resolutions tend to focus
on "fixing" our flaws or "correcting" our
failures. This negative viewpoint comes from a
"critical inner voice" we all possess that alerts
us of what we need to fix, while reminding us
that we won't succeed. Filtering our personal
goals through this critical lens only sets us up
for failure. With that in mind, this year, I want
to propose a new list of deeply rewarding and
reachable resolutions. These activities have
been proven to benefit us on every level,
increasing both the quality and length of our
lives.
Be More Mindful: Mindfulness meditation is an
amazing method for learning to live in the
moment. We do not exist in the future or in the
past, yet many of us spend most of our time
worrying about one or the other. By paying
attention to the present with purpose and
without judgment, we make the most of every
minute we have. A 2009 article in the Annals of
the New York Academy of Sciences posed,
"Meditation practices have various health
benefits including the possibility of preserving
cognition and preventing dementia." In addition
to potentially sustaining brain functionality,
new studies have suggested that mindfulness
meditation may slow the rate of cellular aging.
The evidence that meditation practices may
actually increase our lifespan should give us
that extra incentive to take this time for
ourselves. The benefits may mean not only
more years to enjoy, but more joy in our years.
You can learn more about meditation practices
and benefits from mindfulness expert Jon
Kabat-Zinn here.
Exercise for a Healthy Mind: Staying fit and
healthy may have been the fifth most popular
resolution in 2012, but the goal of exercising
has more rewards than what meets the eye. In
2011, interpersonal neurobiology expert Dr.
Daniel Siegel and co-founder of the
NeuroLeadership Institute Dr. David Rock
developed The Healthy Mind Platter, a regimen
that consists of "seven daily essential mental
activities to optimize brain matter and create
well-being." One of these activities involves
"physical time," in which people move their
bodies aerobically in order to strengthen the
brain. Exercise doesn't just make us stronger
physically, but mentally as well. Aerobic
exercise has been proven to help fight stress
and depression. Keep your mind sharp and
your spirits lifted by making it a part of your
life.
Sleep the Right Amount for You: While eating
right and exercising more are almost always on
our agenda, we rarely give sleep the weight it
deserves when it comes to our wellness and
well-being. According to William C. Dement
and Christopher Vaughan, the authors of The
Promise of Sleep, "Healthful sleep has been
empirically proven to be the single most
important factor in predicting longevity, more
influential than diet, exercise, or heredity." In
their book, the authors correlate ignoring sleep
with heart disease, traffic accidents, and
"immeasurable mental and psychological
disadvantages." Additionally, research shows
that sleep loss hurts our cognitive performance,
while a healthy amount of sleep improves
cognition. So while it may not feel intuitive or
productive, getting the right dose of rest is
something we all should add to our agenda.
Learn more about how much sleep you need
from the National Sleep Foundation website.
Differentiate From Your Past: The end of the
year tends to be a time for reflection. We may
start to look at the worst traits we possess or
the things we most want to change in
ourselves. As we do this, it's important to
continuously ask ourselves, "Who do I want to
be?" "Whose life am I really living?" "Why do I
make the choices I make?" "What actions
would I be taking if I were acting based on my
real wants and desires?" Without us even
knowing it, so many of our behaviors are
based on harmful influences from our past. We
may imitate influential caregivers, adopting
their attitudes or outlook. Or we may act in
ways that are reactive to old experiences.
Behaviors we adopted as children in response
to a negative interpersonal environment can
hurt us adults, especially in conditions where
these behaviors are no longer adaptive.
For example, if we grew up with people who
often let us down, we may be hesitant to trust
anyone. If we grew up feeling under pressure
and pulled on by our parents, we may feel
easily overwhelmed or intruded on. It's
important to identify what parts of our
personality reflect who we want to be and
what parts represent a negative reflection of
our past. Once we identify these patterns, we
must make a conscious effort to separate from
these (often subconscious) influences. Studies
have indicated that the more adverse childhood
events you experience, the more likely you are
to contract disease later in life. Thus, for both
physical and mental reasons, it is vital to face
the ways we've been hurt in the past and to
separate from their still destructive influences
in the present. By shedding these imposed
layers, we can ultimately unveil who we really
are. You can learn more about this process of
differentiation at PsychAlive.org.
Challenge Your Inner Critic: To make any of
our resolutions a success means challenging
our "critical inner voice." This voice will shoot
us down when we achieve victory with
comments like, "So what if you lost weight?
You'll never be able to keep it off." Or it will
lure us to act in self-destructive ways, "One
cigarette won't hurt you. Who cares what you
do anyway? You should just make yourself feel
good." This inner critic is formed from negative
experiences and attitudes we were exposed to
early in life, and it continues to be shaped
throughout our growth.
The more we act according to the dictates of
our critical inner voice, the louder and stronger
it gets, and the more control it has over our
life. We can conquer this enemy within by
identifying when it is triggered and what it is
telling us. By seeing these negative thought
processes as an alien point of view, as
opposed to a reflection of reality, we are better
equipped to counter the directives of our
critical inner voice. By continually standing up
to and challenging this internal enemy, we
become stronger in our ability to live life freely
based on our own desires, passions, and goals.
Taking a positive and proactive approach to
our goals gives us the best chance of achieving
lasting change. As we take on resolutions that
will help us to become our best selves, we
must treat ourselves with compassion,
sensitivity, and respect. We must be brave in
our battle to challenge deeply engrained
behaviors and steadfast in our journey to live
free of imagined limitations.