Discussed in this episode: 

• Reasons why New Year’s resolutions fail; 
• Solutions to the roadblocks to your New Year’s resolution;
• The five stages of making a successful change:
• Stage 1: Precontemplation- When the reality of harmful behavior is present, but we don’t recognize it
• Stage 2: Contemplation - When we start thinking about what making a change would look like
• Stage 3: Preparation - Starting to prepare to make the specific change
• Stage 4: Action - Taking action to make the specific change
• Stage 5: Maintenance - Figuring out how to stick to the change in the long run
• Stage 6: Relapse - Part of the change process is to fail 
• “Perfection is only attainable through our acceptance of failure.” - Dr. Greg
• Roadblocks to change:
• Trying to change too many things at once;
• Starting with a habit that is too big;
• Focusing too much on the outcome instead of the process;
• Not looking at the big picture;
• Thinking small changes don’t matter
• Solutions to these roadblocks:
• Break down your resolution into multiple parts and realize how many things you are actually trying to change. Work on one thing at a time;
• Break down these parts into the sizes of the goals you are trying to achieve. Begin with an easy, achievable goal;
• Focus on behavior instead of outcome (example: going to the gym vs. losing a certain amount of weight);
• Structure your environment to nurture change;
• Realize that small, incremental changes will add up

Resources mentioned or relevant:

• How to Win At New Year’s Resolutions blog post
• Podcast episode on failure: Why Failure is a Good Thing
• Download The Integrated App for access to audio exercises, the Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat, and more;
• Join The Integrated Life Membership which gives you access to every course Dr. Greg has created!
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Being Human, to keep up with all the exciting things happening at CatholicPsych.
• To find out how Dr. Greg’s team can help you, click here.
• To read the CatholicPsych blog, click here.
• For resources from the CatholicPsych Institute, click here. 

If there is a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address, please email your request to beinghuman@catholicpsych.com! We would love to hear from you.

Rate, review, and subscribe

Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.

Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings.

For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review”. Then type your sincere thoughts about the show!

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!