"We have 11 months and a whole lifetime to create healthy habits. They don't happen overnight just because we turn a page on a calendar," says Niro Feliciano, a cognitive therapist.
If you want to get closer to those healthy habits, Feliciano explained, you may need to refresh your mindset. What Feliciano recommends may surprise you: Practices self-compassion. People who practice self-compassion instead of self-criticism have better outcomes — including higher test scores, better work outcomes and lower incidences of anxiety and depression. And they reach their goals, Feliciano said.
In practical terms, that means telling yourself that it's OK when you don't meet all your goals or resolutions immediately — instead of internally heckling yourself when you aren't perfect. Talking to yourself using the same friendly attitude that you'd use with a friend.
It turns out that practicing self-compassion isn't some fluffy new age approach — it's backed up by clinical studies, according to Feliciano. Plus, doesn't it feel nicer to, well, be nice to yourself?
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