{"id":8873,"date":"2023-11-17T01:14:22","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T18:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8873"},"modified":"2023-11-17T01:14:22","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T18:14:22","slug":"the-case-for-a-test-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8873","title":{"rendered":"The Case for a &#8216;Test Drive&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">T<\/span>owards the end of every year, I catch myself lamenting how much my health and fitness routines have slipped in the run-up to the holiday season. <em>Oh well, I\u2019ll just harness that New Year\u2019s resolution energy in January<\/em>, I think to myself.<\/p>\n<p>This year, I\u2019ve decided, will be different. (And I really do mean it this time!) Yes, I know that most new year&#8217;s resolutions <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/6243642\/how-to-keep-new-years-resolutions-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/time.com\/6243642\/how-to-keep-new-years-resolutions-2\/\">epically fail<\/a>. So I started wondering: What would happen if I &#8220;test drove&#8221; some resolutions right away? Rather than waiting for an artificial fresh start dictated by the calendar, I could play around with behavioral changes as soon as I felt called to. And just maybe, trying to implement improvements <em>before<\/em> January 1 could lead to greater consistency once the New Year actually rolls around. Out with expectations of immediate perfection; in with an attitude of curiosity and experimentation!<\/p>\n<div class=\"\">\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"experts-in-article noskim py-[24px] px-[40px]\">\n<p>Experts In This Article<\/p>\n<ul class=\"!ml-[18px]\">\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drcarlamanly.com\/about\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.drcarlamanly.com\/about\/\">Carla Marie Manly, PhD<\/a>, clinical psychologist, life fulfillment expert, and author of <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F44jzZR6&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fresolutions-before-new-year%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44jzZR6\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\" data-aff-intermediate=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44jzZR6\"><em>Date Smart<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F3POdkIg&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fresolutions-before-new-year%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3POdkIg\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\" data-aff-intermediate=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3POdkIg\"><em>Joy From Fear<\/em><\/a>, and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F44EO1fR&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fresolutions-before-new-year%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44EO1fR\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\" data-aff-intermediate=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44EO1fR\">Aging Joyfully<\/a> <\/em> <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/elyseschunkewitzlcsw.com\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/elyseschunkewitzlcsw.com\/\">Elyse D. Schunkewitz, LCSW<\/a>, New York City licensed clinical social worker and brain-based personal trainer <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/reclaimingmindstherapy.com\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/reclaimingmindstherapy.com\/\">Jamila Jones, LCPC<\/a>, founder of Reclaiming Minds Therapy <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<p>In particular, there are a couple of healthy habits I&#8217;ve been wanting to incorporate into my life:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Taking a walk outdoors with my significant other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/morning-walks\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/morning-walks\/\">every morning<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Committing to lights out by 10:15 p.m. every weeknight<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>To design a successful plan\u2014and find out if my idea of a test drive even made scientific sense\u2014I enlisted the help of three psychology experts. All of them agreed that simply relying on January\u2019s \u201cfresh start\u201d feeling can lead to quickly abandoning our best-laid plans. Unfortunately, we don\u2019t magically become different people when the calendar changes. Since research shows that most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/jeff-haden\/a-study-of-800-million-activities-predicts-most-new-years-resolutions-will-be-abandoned-on-january-19-how-you-cancreate-new-habits-that-actually-stick.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/jeff-haden\/a-study-of-800-million-activities-predicts-most-new-years-resolutions-will-be-abandoned-on-january-19-how-you-cancreate-new-habits-that-actually-stick.html\">resolutions tend to falter<\/a> around week two of January, clinical psychologist <a href=\"https:\/\/drcarlamanly.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/drcarlamanly.com\/\">Carla Marie Manly, PhD,<\/a> advised me to run my experiment for three weeks at the least. But the longer, the better if I wanted it to stick. \u201cThere is substantial research showing that it takes, on average, more than two months for a behavior to become automatic,\u201d she told me.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/resolutions-before-new-year\/\" current-title=\"The Case for \u2018Test Driving\u2019 Your New Year\u2019s Resolutions Before January 1\" current-image=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-resolutions-before-new-year-425x285_418x278_true_70.webp\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-05-16\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/resolutions-before-new-year\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/resolutions-before-new-year\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/resolutions-before-new-year\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>So\u2026 how did the experiment go? All told, my \u201cpre-resolutions\u201d gave me new insight on this whole tradition. Here\u2019s what I learned.<\/p>\n<h2>It&#8217;s best to start slowly<\/h2>\n<p>Licensed clinical social worker and brain-based personal trainer <a href=\"https:\/\/elyseschunkewitzlcsw.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/elyseschunkewitzlcsw.com\/\">Elyse D. Schunkewitz, LCSW,<\/a> suggested that I kick off my experiment by observing my current behaviors, possibly via a journaling practice: \u201cIf you don\u2019t have an understanding of how you\u2019re engaging in habits at the moment, then how are we going to know what improvement looks like?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once I\u2019m aware of my baseline, she says, I can set and track goals aimed at slow, incremental improvement. How many goals? \u201cEngaging in one at a time is the best option to ensure you\u2019re not draining yourself to the point that no habits get changed,\u201d Schunkewitz says.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSometimes change can be uncomfortable and hard because it\u2019s unfamiliar, not because it\u2019s unhealthy.\u201d \u2014Jamila Jones, LCPC<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>My takeaway: <\/strong>Ideally, I would have experimented with one resolution and one resolution only. However! You could make the argument that my chosen resolutions form what psychologists call a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/habit-stacking\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/habit-stacking\/\">\u201chabit stack,\u201d<\/a> since both behaviors support each other. When I go to bed on time, I usually get enough sleep that taking a walk the next morning feels like a treat, not a chore. Conversely, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/benefits-morning-workouts\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/benefits-morning-workouts\/\">morning sunshine plus physical activity<\/a> help put me on track to wind down when bedtime rolls around. Win-win.<\/p>\n<p>That said, the next time I make a resolution, I\u2019ll be following Schunkewitz\u2019s advice of implementing one at a time, ideally by stacking any new habit on top of a longer-established one in order to keep the changes manageable.<\/p>\n<h2>Your \u201cwhy\u201d is what keeps you going<\/h2>\n<p>Ever impulsively made a New Year\u2019s resolution based on external expectations or societal norms? Same. <a href=\"https:\/\/reclaimingmindstherapy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/reclaimingmindstherapy.com\/\">Jamila Jones, LCPC,<\/a> founder of Reclaiming Minds Therapy, encouraged me to dig (much) deeper: \u201cAre these things actually in alignment with the life that you want for yourself? With the version of yourself that you want to show up as?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By taking a few weeks at the end of the year to try out my ideas while reflecting on who I really am and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/intrinsic-motivation\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/intrinsic-motivation\/\">what I really want<\/a>, I (hopefully) got closer to setting goals grounded in what Jones calls \u201cinspired action\u201d\u2014that is, behavior aligned not only with the vision I see for my ideal future self, but also with my current environment and circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>We tend to make time for what\u2019s truly important to us. By contrast, resolutions based on what we think we <em>should<\/em> do\u00a0are likely to fail\u2014fast. \u201cWhen you feel an internal connection to your resolution, and it feels rooted in what you know to be true about yourself, then you typically will be able to connect to it for a longer period of time,\u201d Jones says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My takeaway:<\/strong> Strolling around the neighborhood every morning isn\u2019t really about the exercise. It\u2019s about undistracted quality time with my S.O. and enjoying some gentle movement outdoors to start my day on a positive note. Put another way, this resolution is a daily vote for two major priorities in my life: my romantic relationship and my mental health. Even when I was tempted to hit snooze instead, those motivations kept me going. If I were a betting woman, I\u2019d say this is one habit I\u2019ll be able to stick with come 2024.<\/p>\n<h2>Choose curiosity, not criticism<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Manly points out that many of us delegate New Year\u2019s resolutions to our inner critic. \u201cThat critical mind is often tied to perfectionism inherited from society or our parents,\u201d she says. The problem, of course, is that perfectionism carries the weight of an all-or-nothing paradigm: \u201cIf I don\u2019t fulfill my resolutions flawlessly, I will have failed utterly.\u201d That internal monologue likely sounds familiar to those of us who have guiltily discarded ambitious resolutions before January is over.<\/p>\n<p>To avoid this pitfall, Dr. Manly suggests assigning any resolutions to an internal compassionate researcher: \u201cLearn to step back and nonjudgmentally observe what\u2019s going on. What\u2019s preventing you from making it to that yoga class? What happens right before you eat all the chocolate chip cookies?\u201d When\u2014not if\u2014a resolution doesn\u2019t get checked off one day, Dr. Manly says, I shouldn&#8217;t consider that a &#8220;failure.&#8221; Rather, I should simply reflect on <em>why<\/em> it didn\u2019t happen\u2014and stay open to revising the original resolution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My takeaway: <\/strong>Two weeks into this experiment, I was forced to perfection-proof my resolutions when I was cast in a play that rehearses on weeknights until 9:30 p.m.. My revised definition of success now looks like turning the lights off between 10:15 and 11 p.m., waking up 30 minutes later than before, and taking a shortened walk the next morning.<\/p>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t my original plan, but it allowed me to keep at it in a way that worked given my new circumstances. Otherwise, I\u2019d be leaving myself vulnerable to what psychologists call the \u201cwhat-the-hell\u201d effect, when a minor slip-up encourages giving up entirely.<\/p>\n<h2>Play the long game<\/h2>\n<p>At the three-week mark, Jones suggested I reflect on my progress so far with a generous mindset. \u201cGive space and credence to what changes you <em>have<\/em> made,\u201d she told me. \u201cSometimes change can be uncomfortable and hard because it\u2019s unfamiliar, not because it\u2019s unhealthy.\u201d In my case, writing this piece was an opportunity to reflect on the challenging moments in my experiment and to let those hiccups inform my strategy going forward. For instance, even though a 10:15 p.m. bedtime wasn&#8217;t always feasible, I realized I can still work to avoid the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/sleep-loss-procrastination-cycle\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/sleep-loss-procrastination-cycle\/\">revenge bedtime procrastination<\/a> that pushes it even later.<\/p>\n<p>Schunkewitz\u2019s final advice to me: Keep going, with love. \u201cGentle self-compassion is about when you need to give yourself a break and show yourself some love and healing,\u201d she explained. \u201cFierce self-compassion is about when you push yourself to do something even if you don\u2019t want to, because it\u2019s good for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>My takeaway:<\/strong> Some mornings, breaking my walking streak by sleeping in will be in my best interest. Other days, pushing myself to get up and get out will be the right choice. Now that I know what these resolutions actually feel like in practice, I feel more confident that I\u2019ll know the difference when either situation arises down the line.<\/p>\n<p>This experiment with a new perspective on New Year\u2019s resolutions. Sure, it\u2019s still tempting to buy into the clean-slate mindset offered by a brand-new year. But if the intention is important to me, what am I waiting for? Here\u2019s to the (realistic, gradual, and flexible) resolutions that start today.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Towards the end of every year, I catch myself lamenting how much my health and fitness routines have slipped in the run-up to the holiday season. Oh well, I\u2019ll just harness that New Year\u2019s resolution energy in January, I think to myself. This year, I\u2019ve decided, will be different. (And I really do mean it &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}