Do you need a RESET?
Posted on 28th January 2025 at 16:24

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Getting Back on Track with Your New Year's Resolutions: A Hypnotherapist's Guide
What were your resolutions this year? Did you make any?
Most people start off with enthusiasm, telling themselves this year will be different, this is the year I’ll get my health / life / finances sorted.
And a month in?
We've all been there – the enthusiasm gradually fading for one reason or another as we face challenges, life demands, and disillusionment if we don’t see results as fast as we’d like. As a hypnotherapist specialising in behaviour change, I've come across this pattern year in and year out, but I've also witnessed remarkable transformations when people approach their goals with the right mindset and support.
The Reality of Resolutions
Over 40% of people resign themselves to their New Year resolutions failing before the end of the first month of the year (InsideOut Mastery, 2024) and Sampson Armand (nd) state that “Statistically 92% of us that made a resolution will not achieve their goal.” According to Ibbetson (2020), over 20% of people did not keep even one of their resolutions in 2020.
In fact, January 19th has been dubbed "Quitter's Day" for this reason, though Utah State University (2025) were even less optimistic this year and moved it to 10th January.
So, why is this the case and what can you do to stack the odds of succeeding in your favour?

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What is it that makes the difference between success and failure? It goes beyond willpower. It's about understanding our emotional state, our triggers and habits; learning from what we too readily perceive as failure; and developing strategies that work more in tandem with our mind rather than fighting against it.
Reasons people give up
Unrealistic expectations – change takes time; it is important to accept this and realise that a change made at a conscious level (deliberately choosing the steamed veg rather than the buttery mash, for example) needs to be repeated regularly until it filters down and becomes an unconscious habit.
Vague goals – use the SMART acronym (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound) to guide you eg, cut down from 3 glasses of wine a night to 1 glass a night by February 10th.
Not at tipping point yet – have you heard the story about the dog sitting on the nail? Create a compelling reason to change. Sometimes this is simply drawing up a list of pros and cons of maintaining the status quo. Invariably, it involves creating an emotional reason to succeed.
Being too kind to yourself – it’s very tempting to let yourself off the run round the block because it is cold outside, or tell yourself that, because of the busy day you’ve had, you deserve to sit and watch TV rather than work out. There’ll always be a reason not to make the right choice, in the short term, but keep in mind the long-term reasons to make those choices. Hold yourself accountable.
Not being kind enough to yourself – on the other hand, sometimes you really do need a rest. Or you allowed an emotion like anger or sadness to derail you. You’re human, these things happen. So, yes, hold yourself accountable, but practise self-compassion. Heaping guilt and shame on top of the setback can lead to more comfort-seeking and therefore reinforcement of the undesired habit.
I fell off the wagon; what can I do?
Analyse what went wrong: was it something in the environment? Are one or more of your emotional needs not being met? Learn, move on and apply the RESET (see below) approach. For more on primal emotional needs (arguably the key to good mental health and staying out of addictive behaviours, see work by the Human Givens Institute).
Get yourself in the right mindset by ensuring you tackle stress, nurture social connections, have a sense of purpose, and honour the mind-body connection.
If you need a ‘new year’ to take it seriously and get you moving, then consider a fresh start at Lunar New Year at the end of January (or, if you need another reset later, the Thai New Year in mid-April, the Hijri New Year in June, Rosh Hashanah in September, or the Celtic New Year at the end of October – my point is that a new year does not come just once a year; get back on the horse). However, it is worth bearing in mind that each new day can be a new beginning, and even if you make mistakes, then you can make applying the RESET approach another beneficial new habit.
The RESET Method: An empowering Path to Recovery
Reflect: take the time, with no judgement, to understand what led to the setback; Evaluate: consider what were the specific triggers and challenges at that moment; Strategise: develop concrete plans to address these challenges and stay out of trigger situations; Engage: Put your new strategies into action; Thrive: Move forward with renewed commitment and acquired wisdom.
Let's look at this in more detail with some practical applications:
Reflect
Instead of berating yourself about a setback, be curious. Ask yourself:
• what was happening just before I gave in to temptation?
• how was I feeling emotionally? Physically?
Evaluate
Analyse the:
• environmental factors (the place, the time of day, who I was with)
• emotional states (stress or boredom levels, or other strong emotions)
• physical conditions (hunger, tiredness, discomfort of any kind)
Strategise
Develop specific solutions:
• change the environment by removing triggers or adding support such as healthy food in the fridge or make small changes to a habit such as drinking tea with cigarettes instead of coffee, or smoking in a different, less comfortable chair – this weakens the habit, making it easier to break
• plan what you will do differently next time – always have a back-up plan like an agreement to call a friend whenever you get the urge to place a bet or put money into a slot machine
• identify resources and support systems
Engage
Put your plans into action:
• begin with small, manageable steps – much easier to stick to (even one tiny step closer is a step closer)
• use visualisation techniques to rehearse new behaviours (the subconscious mind does not distinguish between real and imagined, so by imagining taking the right steps, you begin to create the new habit in your subconscious mind). This is one of the major tools hypnotherapy has in its arsenal
• incorporate self-hypnosis and positive self-talk for reinforcing the changes
Thrive
Build on your success:
• celebrate small wins (just don’t let the celebration go on too long – see point above about being too kind…)
• track your progress and alter your strategies if you need to
• share your experiences with others; this helps to hold you accountable as well as helping them
Practical Tips for Success
1. Make it Manageable Break larger goals into smaller, achievable steps.
2. Make your environment work for you, not against you. If you're trying to stop gambling, stay out of places where there are temptations. If necessary, stay away from people you gambled with until you feel more confident.
3. Use Visualisation This mental rehearsal, each day, of you honouring your resolution strengthens neural pathways associated with the new beneficial behaviours. In fact, it tends to work best if you visualise the new you from the outside first, then step into the new year and imagine going through your day.
4. Keep a simple journal of your experiences, focussing on successes and new insights.
5. Build in Flexibility Allow for occasional setbacks without letting it derail you. The path to lasting change usually involves some sideways moves and backtracking.
When to Seek Support
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we need additional support to get there. Consider working with a hypnotherapist when:
• you're struggling with deeply engrained habits
• stress, anxiety or heightened emotional states are interfering with your progress
• you feel stuck
• you have had some success and want to move past a plateau
Remember, seeking support isn't a sign of weakness – it's part of a good toolbox, a strategy for success. Many of my clients find that just a few sessions can provide the breakthrough they need to keep going to lasting success.
How Hypnotherapy Can Help You
Hypnotherapy is quite unique in how it supports behaviour change because it works directly with your subconscious mind, which is where habits and automatic patterns of behaviour are stored. Through hypnotic techniques, we can:
• access and alter deeply engrained patterns of behaviour
• lower stress and anxiety levels. Experience has told me that stress and anxiety invariably underlie poor habits – sort these out first
• increase motivation and reaffirm your commitment
• create new, positive associations with healthy choices
Whether you're working on weight management, smoking cessation, exercise habits, or other personal goals, remember that change is a process, not an event. Each setback provides valuable information that can strengthen your eventual success.
By using the RESET method and incorporating hypnotherapy techniques, you can transform your New Year’s resolutions (whichever month of the year you decide to initiate them) from a struggle into an opportunity for growth and lasting change.
Don’t be one of those who gives up on yourself.
Are you ready to transform your goals into reality? Contact me to learn how hypnotherapy can support you: enquiries@solutioncentredhypnotherapy.co.uk
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