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Resolutions bad for your health? Can making a commitment to change in 2009 be bad for your health? The mental health charity "Mind" seem to think so according to this article published on the BBC News website.
The charity said: "resolutions which focus on issues such as the need to lose weight or job worries create a negative self-image and if the plans fail to materialise, that could trigger feelings of failure and inadequacy."
Mind do wonderful work and far be it from me to disparage them but is what they are saying basically: "don't try anything because you might fail and that might make you feel bad?" I fell over and hurt myself quite a bit whilst I was learning to walk. I looked like a right idiot as I somehow pulled myself back up onto my feet and tried again. My self image, had I been old enough to comprehend such a power, would no doubt have been screaming at me that it was under attack from the thoughts of a group of assembled adults. Half thought I was cute and half thought I took some perverse delight in falling over and hitting things with my body.
Paul Farmer, Mind's Chief Executive, says: "We chastise ourselves for our perceived shortcomings and set unrealistic goals to change our behavior, so it's not surprising that, when we fail to keep resolutions, we end up feeling worse than when we started."
Granted. We are often too hard on ourselves. Granted. We focus on perceived shortcomings when, 9 times out of 10, those shortcomings either don't matter to other people or else don't exist in the first place. We do tend to see our differences from others as "problems" rather than expressions of our individuality. But is Mind's Chief Executive really arguing against the setting of goals?
Isn't the setting of goal a pretty good antidote to personal insecurities? Isn't such an action a pretty blunt statement of: I think I'm good enough to try this out and, hopefully, succeed at it? What about motivation? Mind's alternatives to New Year's Resolutions include "being more active", "going green", "learn something new" and "give back to the community". Without a goal of some sort, there's very little motivation to stay active for extended periods of time or to take up and enjoy exercise. Surely going green is part of a goal to save money and try and improve the state of the planet?
My language learning challenge (www.joinmartin.wordpress.com) would have gone nowhere fast and attracted little interest had it not had a goal at its heart. Lastly, giving back to the community with no thought of return for yourself is, of course, admirable. But where's the motivation to keep going? What do you want to achieve by giving back to the community? Do you want to raise funds for a charity? Improve a children's play area? Perhaps you'd like to volunteer? What's your goal and what's your motivation?
That isn't to say that we should suddenly take on a military mindset about this whole endeavor. Oh no. Plans change and it's important we remain flexible enough to adapt to that change. For instance, you're goal is to save enough to buy an expensive car. However, a few weeks into your saving regime, you spot a much better car on sale for half price. What do you do? Continue saving until you can afford the original car you set your heart on or change your plans and buy the other car?
Should we have targets? Yes but this is not a competition. This is personal development. A process that can take a life time. Indeed, that's pretty much the point. If you can't speak French right now that doesn't mean you're an incomplete or bad person. Not being able to speak French isn't evidence of personal failure. Personal development isn't just about the person. By setting goals and having targets and taking actions, you influence other people and the world around you. You stimulate change, you meet new friends and you discover more about yourself.
Mind know more about mental health and safeguarding our mental health than I do so I must assume they know best and, like I said, far be it from me to disparage them or their advice. Please read the article and take heed of it if any of it should speak to you. For that is the irony of this whole thing, this article has a goal and there's motivation behind it: the motivation to make sure our minds remain healthy. Perhaps goals are a good thing after all?
Image copyright BBC News Online 2009.
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