We should bin the New Year's resolutions in 2021, according to a psychotherapist.
This is one of the steps we can take to maintain a positive outlook in the face of a third lockdown and not dwell on the difficulties and challenges we're facing.
That's according to Helen Vaughan, a psychotherapist and owner of Maynooth Counselling.
She believes there's too much pressure to make big changes once a year and says we shouldn't shame ourselves for the things we didn't do in 2020.
Dr Vaughan told Newstalk Breakfast with Susan Keogh that we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves this year.
"The old you has got you through nine months of the most difficult pandemic in 100 years, so actually the old you isn't all bad," she said.
"Maybe give yourself some credit for how far we've all come, what we've been dealing with anxiety-wise and difficulty life-wise and trying to balance everything.
"Don't shame the old you because you've probably done pretty well, it's been hard and it's worth acknowledging that it has been hard."
Dr Vaughan added that this is the year to "definitely" put the resolutions "in the bin".
"I feel if you want to improve yourself you should be kind of doing that all the time in little ways rather than pressuring yourself," she said.
"What I think is problematic is shaming yourself maybe for the things you didn't do last year or that you should have done.
"When you think of last year and how difficult it has been for us, this is definitely the year to put the resolutions in the bin or maybe to change them slightly.
She said it might be useful to think of resolutions related to the pandemic, rather than the typical ones like losing weight.
Self-care plans or getting outside frequently would be more beneficial than entering the "vicious cycle" of making and then breaking difficult resolutions, she added.
Dr Vaughan explained it is understandable that people may be experiencing more anxiety than usual due to the situation with the pandemic.
She advised people to accept how they are feeling and recognise if their feelings, such as resentment or anger, are "going into the extreme" that they may need to speak to someone or seek support.
