New Year’s resolutions must be “nailed down to specific actions” to be successful, according to a leading author and psychotherapist.
Dr Joanna Fortune said vague and abstract resolutions never work.
It comes as a recent study by Forbes Health found only 8% of people stick with their New Year’s resolutions beyond January.
A special report from Newstalk’s Sarah Madden found there was a big uptake expected in volunteering, learning a craft, and improving mental health this January.
Dr Fortune said “it’s no surprise” that many people are now looking into positive mental health practices.
“I think social media has fed into this largely," she said.
“People are speaking directly to their audience about their own mental health and own mental wellbeing, so it’s not a surprise that people are thinking about it.
“What I find interesting is it’s becoming the focus of taking an action.”
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Dr Fortune said actions must be central to all New Year’s resolutions.
“Start with something you can do,” she said.
“Because making a generic commitment like ‘I’m going to focus on my mental health this year’ – it’s too vague and too abstract.
“What do you mean by that? I’d much rather people’s commitment to mental wellbeing be nailed down to specific actions.”
Crafts
Crafts of Ireland’s Cathy Garton said learning a new skill is also on the rise this January.
“I think definitely the importance of crafting and the enjoyment of the experience has come to the fore,” she said.
“During lockdown, people had to find alternative ways to spend time and do things in a quieter environment where we didn’t have as much communication with other people.
“Definitely since then, there has been a trend back towards craft.”
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Ms Garton said there is no surprise that learning skills is popular once again, considering the range of benefits that come with it.
“Even if you take the embroidery, it’s supposed to help lower stress, anxiety, and blood pressure,” she said.
“There are so many health benefits apart from the benefit of the experience of making something and how good it feels to produce something yourself.”
Volunteering
CEO of older persons charity Alone Sean Moynihan said volunteering is a great choice for anyone in need of a resolution.
“You get the benefit in better health, wellbeing and mental health,” he said.
“Also, you get to feel part of something, part of your community, in a world where maybe we’ve all become a little bit attached.
“We’re so lucky to have over 4,000 volunteers who give us their time and I’ve never met a volunteer who doesn’t say they get more out of it than they put into it.
“We’re with older people so they get stories, history, and new relationships which we all need that level of emotional support and wellbeing.”
Exercise
The benefits of physical exercise can’t be overlooked either, according to Outsider.ie’s Heather Snelgar.
“You should start off with something small and a little bit more achievable and say ‘I’m going to have a walk five days a week for 30 minutes,’” she said.
“Once you get the endorphins from that exercise, you really enjoy it and realise it hasn’t taken up that much of your day.
“Before you know it you’re arranging a hike with friends on the weekend and that’s much more social. It doesn’t feel like you’re going into the gym for hours on end.”
Ms Snelgar added that nature is key to exercise.
“Nature feeds into not just your mental health but how your brain works and makes you much more effective in work and in your day-to-day life,” she said.
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Main image: A woman running. Credit: Alamy.
