It’s that time of year again, a time to make and potentially break New Year’s resolutions.

Research has shown, around half of all adults make New Year’s resolutions, but only 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months.

Realistically, people often set unrealistic resolutions and continue to be the victims of their bad habits.

In 2020, instead of creating unrealistic resolutions that you, most likely, will never achieve, why not make a fewsmall commitments, every day behavioural changes that encourage a greater connection.

We’ve shared some wonderful ideas created by 5 to Thrive below:

Connect: With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

Be active: Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Invite a friend or family member to join you. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy; one that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

Take notice: Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are on a train, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you, understand your impact and value what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

Keep Learning: Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for a course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident, as well as being fun to do. Again, these are activities that you can also share with the important people in your life.

Give: Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and will create connections with the people around you.

Keep in mind that on average it takes 66 days to form a new habit, so if at any point you’re feeling frustrated that you may not be achieving a desired goal or change in behaviour, recognise that it may take some time. Monitor your behaviour, listen to how you feel and try again! Changes will very rarely happen overnight.

If you’re committing to changing your behaviour in 2020, or you’ve set intentions or resolutions let us know!

---