A therapist has took to social media to denounce New Year’s resolutions and explained what you can do instead.
New year, new me - this phrase is spoken the world over as people attempt to iron out some of their bad habits and meet their new year goals.
Whether that's going to the gym more often or getting your finances in order, now is the time that a lot of people feel inspired to sort themselves out.
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Dena Domenicali-Rochelle, a psychoanalyst and clinical social worker often offers mental health advice on her TikTok page @denathetherapis, and in her first video of the year had words for those chasing an 'unrealistic fantasy of perfection'. Have a look:
She also explained why she wasn’t a fan of New Year’s resolutions and why so many people are often unsuccessful when they decide to set them.
“Happy New Year. So, because its the first of the year. I wanna talk about New Year’s resolutions,” Domenicali-Rochelle said in her video.
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“So I don’t like them and I don’t think you should make any and here’s why.
“New Year’s resolutions capitalize on the alluring but unrealistic fantasy of perfection.
“Like maybe this time I’ll do it perfectly. Maybe this time I'll stay totally dedicated and not make any mistakes but that is a fantasy.
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“And the day will come, probably relatively swiftly, where you don’t feel that dedicated and you don’t really care and in that moment when you falter, if you set up this notion of perfection, it’s gonna feel like a failure.
“If you feel like a failure you’ll be tempted to say f*** it and if you say f*** it, then you will go totally off the rails on whatever change it is that you wanna make.”
Well, not the most positive outlook to start the year with.
But thankfully, Domenicali-Rochelle also offers advice on what to do instead - so that is something I suppose.
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“So instead of making New Year’s resolution do this. Wake up every morning and ask yourself what can I do today that will help me get what I want in the long run,” she continued.
“Then whatever that thing is make sure its a realistic expectation and ask yourself to do it.
“That’s it so you just take it one day at a time. Forget the long-term New Year’s resolutions, they’re not going to help you.”
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According to a Ohio State University 2023 report, research has suggested that only '9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them'.
And more shockingly, 23 percent of people quit their resolutions in the first week.
So, if you never manage to achieve your New Year’s resolutions, then perhaps it might be worth giving an alternative approach a go.
Topics: TikTok
Gerrard Kaonga