Strategies for Maintaining Your New Year's Commitments

Strategies for Maintaining Your New Year's Commitments

Vera Ludwig, a research associate at the University of Pennsylvania, has published a framework in the journal "Perspectives on Psychological Science" that focuses on mindfulness and self-regulation for goal setting and behaviour change. This seven-step process, designed to help people regulate behaviours to align with their values and goals, has garnered attention for its potential to support successful adherence to resolutions.

The framework moves through phases from understanding the outcome of an action and what triggers it, to exploring alternative behaviours and how to enact them.

1. Acknowledge "goal-incongruent behavior" - such as overeating - and understand its underlying causes.
2. Conduct a personal self-observation study, writing down thoughts that prevent you from meeting your goals.
3. Set reasonable, self-loving, and friendly goals for changing habits.
4. Reprogramming the brain's reward circuits takes time and requires repeated awareness of a behaviour.
5. Practice mindfulness for as little as five or ten minutes daily. Mindfulness means observing without judgment and being present in the moment.
6. Accept and experience emotions, especially during challenging times.
7. In the final step, individuals become aware of how the new behaviour feels physically and emotionally, with the goal of updating the reward signal in the brain to encode the reward value of the new option as higher.

While specific tips for sticking with New Year's resolutions based on the neuroscience of reward learning and intrinsic motivation have not been found in the provided materials, Vera Ludwig's work often includes recommendations such as:

1. Set intrinsic, personally meaningful goals rather than extrinsic rewards.
2. Start with small, manageable steps to build the habit gradually.
3. Use positive reinforcement and reward yourself in ways that nurture intrinsic motivation.
4. Focus on the process and learning rather than only the outcome.
5. Create environments that support cue-triggered habit formation.
6. Track progress and celebrate small wins to keep motivation high.

Ludwig also encourages mindfulness during various activities, such as sitting, walking, or listening to music.

The study, published under the DOI: 10.1177/1745691620931460, offers a practical and scientifically grounded approach to personal growth and behaviour change. By understanding and addressing our own behaviours, we can work towards a more mindful and goal-oriented lifestyle.

1. Embracing the seven-step framework for personal change, one can acknowledge self-regulation issues such as overeating and comprehend their underlying factors.
2. In order to achieve personal growth and adhere to goals, one can benefit from conducting a personal self-observation study, acknowledging the thoughts that hinder success.
3. Applying the neuroscience of reward learning and intrinsic motivation to New Year's resolutions, set intrinsic, meaningful goals instead of seeking external rewards.

Read also: