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The start of 2025 is over, we can breathe now right? You may have stuck to your New Year’s resolutions so far but is the motivation starting to wane?
This year, January 14 is known as ‘Quitters Day’ – and according to Strava is the point of the month where people are most likely to give up on their new goals.
So why do so many people struggle so early on and what can be done to push past the resistance?
The cycle of change
According to new research by affordable healthcare provider Benenden Health, 71% of UK adults feel confident in keeping their health resolutions in the short term.
However, reasons such as loss of motivation (56%), lack of time (28%), and becoming bored of the resolution (25%), means many of us are falling short on our commitments.
We’ve all felt the resistance or lack of motivation when trying to sustain a new habit or let go of one, but what’s actually going on in our minds during this time?
The ‘cycle of change’ – also known as the transtheoretical model – reminds us that lasting change is rarely smooth sailing.
“We go through stages of contemplation, preparation, and action, possibly joined by periods of recurrence or loss of motivation during this cycle of change,” explains registered clinical counsellor and founder of Lotus Therapy, Nilou Esmaeilpour.
“Realising that relapses or a loss of motivation is part of the process can prevent us from feeling discouraged and prepare ourselves to start again.”
Reasons for a lack of resilience may include a fear of failure, past experiences and seeking the familiar feeling of your comfort zone.
These can all tie back into what Dr Victoria Lawson, a chartered psychologist calls our inner critic. “Whenever we set extremely high standards for ourselves that sometimes can’t be met, rather than resetting and thinking, OK this isn’t working, how can I do it differently? People just give up on themselves,” she says.
“Our inner critic can be a big problem. I ask people if they would speak to a good friend who’s in the same position in such a critical way. Or what steps would they give to that person to keep going or find new ways.”
Lecturer in psychology at Swansea University, Simon Williams, added that practical reasons such as falling back into regular busy life with work, kids and less free time can also be a reason for resistance.
How do we stick to our resolutions?
A famous 2009 study by researches at UCL found it takes about 66 days for people to reliably perform a new behavior automatically.
Williams describes this in terms of two types of motivation: reflective motivation when you are intentionally aware of how motivated you are – or are not – and automatic motivation, when you do something because it’s now a habit.
“We can see it similar to running a marathon, with mile markers where motivation is going to dip and you’re questioning why you’re doing it,” he explains. “But then you will then get a second wind of motivation if you push through.”
Williams advises to set smart goals and objectives that are measurable to keep yourself pushing through this stage of change.
“You should try tracking your progress. Is it achievable? Is it realistic? Is this something you want to do?,” he says.
‘Accountability friends’, mindfulness, tracking your progress on an app with reminders, are also resources you can use to stay on track with your goals.
By using tools and tips to get through the period of low motivation, Williams says: “This time next year, it’s going to be a habit, not a goal.”
