Making Changes by Hilary Totah
Confess! How many of you have made a New Year’s resolution which you have forgotten, changed your mind about or thought of a reason why you don’t need to do it any more... or just plain found it too difficult and then felt a failure because you couldn’t do it.
There is a collective myth that fools us into thinking that making New Year’s resolutions will transform our lives and make us ‘new’. If only it was that simple. Changing habits or creating new more productive habits is a skill, like any other, that needs to be learnt and needs practise. A lot of resolutions are aimed at changing something that is firmly entrenched into our lifestyle, such as overeating or smoking. Do an experiment: try changing a habit that doesn’t have any emotional charge e.g where you put your toothbrush in the bathroom, or where you keep your keys. Notice your resistance to that change and how long it takes for it to become a new habit. This will help you have realistic expectations about how you can change an ingrained habit. Set yourself goals rather than making resolutions. Be realistic. Don’t decide to give up smoking, get fit and go on a diet all at the same time. Do something that fits in with your present life style, given some modifications. Sit quietly and visualise yourself having achieved your goal. Imagine how you would feel, how you would look. Do this regularly at least once a day for a few minutes. Change your thoughts so that you are saying positive things to your self. Writing or saying affirmations can help. (See websites below for ideas). Make a plan for how you are going to achieve your goal. Think of the steps you need to take to get there and start with step 1. Be as specific as you can in what you want to achieve – for instance instead of saying I want to lose weight, you could say I want to lose half a stone in a month. Write down your goals, the steps you need to take and your successes. Give yourself a time frame to do it in.	Congratulate yourself, give yourself rewards when you succeed, even in a small way. Be kind to yourself - if at first you don’t succeed, forgive yourself and start again. You know yourself, so have patience. Be persistent. Change can be scary and challenging and you may need some support – ask a friend if you can phone them if you are going off track or join a relevant support group. Get professional help from a life coach or try hypnotherapy. James Caspian, a local hypnotherapist says he often works with people who want to make changes in their lives. Sometimes, he says, people feel stuck and need help to move forward and start seeing their potential. And the most important element – you have to want to change and make the choice to do what it takes. Enjoy yourself! www.tut.com www.gems4friends.com/affirmations

Making Changes

by Hilary Totah

Confess! How many of you have made a New Year’s resolution which you have forgotten, changed your mind about or thought of a reason why you don’t need to do it any more... or just plain found it too difficult and then felt a failure because you couldn’t do it.

There is a collective myth that fools us into thinking that making New Year’s resolutions will transform our lives and make us ‘new’. If only it was that simple. Changing habits or creating new more productive habits is a skill, like any other, that needs to be learnt and needs practise.

A lot of resolutions are aimed at changing something that is firmly entrenched into our lifestyle, such as overeating or smoking.

Do an experiment: try changing a habit that doesn’t have any emotional charge e.g where you put your toothbrush in the bathroom, or where you keep your keys. Notice your resistance to that change and how long it takes for it to become a new habit. This will help you have realistic expectations about how you can change an ingrained habit.

Set yourself goals rather than making resolutions. Be realistic. Don’t decide to give up smoking, get fit and go on a diet all at the same time. Do something that fits in with your present life style, given some modifications.

Sit quietly and visualise yourself having achieved your goal. Imagine how you would feel, how you would look. Do this regularly at least once a day for a few minutes. Change your thoughts so that you are saying positive things to your self. Writing or saying affirmations can help. (See websites below for ideas).

Make a plan for how you are going to achieve your goal. Think of the steps you need to take to get there and start with step 1. Be as specific as you can in what you want to achieve – for instance instead of saying I want to lose weight, you could say I want to lose half a stone in a month. Write down your goals, the steps you need to take and your successes. Give yourself a time frame to do it in.

Congratulate yourself, give yourself rewards when you succeed, even in a small way. Be kind to yourself - if at first you don’t succeed, forgive yourself and start again. You know yourself, so have patience. Be persistent. Change can be scary and challenging and you may need some support – ask a friend if you can phone them if you are going off track or join a relevant support group. Get professional help from a life coach or try hypnotherapy. James Caspian, a local hypnotherapist says he often works with people who want to make changes in their lives. Sometimes, he says, people feel stuck and need help to move forward and start seeing their potential. And the most important element – you have to want to change and make the choice to do what it takes. Enjoy yourself!
www.tut.com
www.gems4friends.com/affirmations

James Caspian Hypnotherapy