Why do they wait? The reason people set a New Year’s Resolution to get treatment

No matter where you are in the world, the countdown towards the New Year is pretty standard. The countdown from ten, the goofy hats or glasses, and finding a loved one to kiss to ring in the New Year.

Once the party is over and you wake up on January 1st, things start to get real: it’s time to set out doing your New Year’s resolutions.

Perhaps your resolution is to exercise (although you might be surprised the most popular day in the gym isn’t even in January), start cooking at home, or finally get addiction treatment.

Sometimes these resolutions pop up months before the new year actually rolls in which begs the question, why wait? If it’s a change you really want to make, then what’s the point of waiting for another revolution around the sun? Why not now?

People Like Holding onto Hope

Have you ever been in bed lying awake and suddenly you get an urge to do all those things you’ve been putting off? You finally have the urge to go for a jog, finish that painting, start writing a journal. When you wake up, the motivation is gone. 

What the heck just happened?

That’s because at night, you have nothing else to do. You’re supposed to be in bed. You’re supposed to be lying there, trying to go to sleep. When you have nothing on your plate, lots of things seem possible. But morning often brings reality.

You could take piano classes, but you’ve got to get ready for work. You could start going to the gym, but the kids need breakfast made.

A similar phenomenon strikes when it comes to the New Year. There are plenty of things you could do, but you’re just too busy right now. But when the New Year comes, it’s a new you. New planning, a new schedule, and everything will change!

You just can’t do it now. But, you’ve got the hope and desire that something will change over the next few months.

Peer Pressure

There’s always talk of goal-setting around the New Year. It might be pressure from the media, family, or friends. And it’s not as much pressure as it is an assumption. 

“What New Year’s Resolutions do you have?”

“Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight? Our product can help you do so!”

“I’m going to do XYZ this next year, want to join me?”

Setting a goal around the first day of the New Year sounds more normal than setting a goal on a random Tuesday in September. Plus, it’s much easier to start moving towards a goal when someone else you know is doing so too. It can be hard to go alone.

People Fall in Love with the Idea Instead of the Action

Doesn’t it sound great to say, “This year, I’m going to read a book every week!” You’re saying the right thing, people are impressed by your goal, and you might actually have the motivation.

But unfortunately, we sometimes like saying things more than actually doing them. Why? Because it’s a heck of a lot easier to say you’re going to read a book every week than actually reading a book every week. 

So if you start saying you’re going to do X, Y, and Z, it sounds great. But are you actually going to do it? That’s one of the reasons it’s important to set attainable goals instead of things you know that you’re never going to accomplish.

The Holidays are Busy

For many, the holiday season starts around the end of November. You have Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas season, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and then finally New Year’s Eve.

For many, it’s just a hectic time. End-of-the-year deadlines are fast approaching, shopping needs to be done, travel plans are made, and so much more.

Who has time to make a serious life change?

While all of that is enough to spin even the calmest of people in circles, it doesn’t mean you have to come up short on your goals.

Even though you’re so close to the end of the year, why not go ahead and start? That way, you can get ahead of all the resolution talk and already have a firm foundation. Plus, there isn’t as much pressure when January 1st shows up on the calendar.

People Often Don’t Know Where to Start

If your new goal is to find some way to kick your addiction, where do you start? What’s the best course of action?

For many people, the idea of starting is scary in and of itself. Because not only will you be embarking on a new journey, but you might fall flat on your face. Things may not work out like you wanted them to. Or, you know that making a serious life change is going to be hard. 

Here at The Walker Center, we know that making such a change is hard. Really hard. But, there is no better time to start making a change than now. There is always plenty of time between now and when you might be thinking about starting a goal, so why not get a head start?

Reach out to us today to find out how we can help.

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