1. Many of us feel the need to reduce cortisol levels at this time of year; we’ve returned to work after the holidays, we are looking to create change bin line with the new year, we have new goals, children are back at school, life is hectic again and a range of other things that are heightening our stress levels, and consequently increasing the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) in our system.

In our modern world, stress has become so normalised that many people barely notice its presence until they feel exhausted, anxious, irritable, or emotionally depleted. One of the most significant biological markers of chronic stress is cortisol, a hormone that plays a vital role in survival but can seriously undermine mental and physical wellbeing when it remains elevated for too long.

Psychology offers us some simple, research-backed tools to help people reduce cortisol levels, not by suppressing stress artificially, but by changing how the brain perceives, processes, and responds to threat. Here today, I’m exploring what cortisol is, why it becomes problematic, and how psychological interventions can be used to reduce cortisol levels in sustainable, evidence-based ways.

The strategies I’m sharing are practical, accessible, and grounded in psychological science. They are especially relevant for people seeking to feel calmer, less anxious, more emotionally balanced, and ultimately happier in the face of modern life pressures.

Read Full Article: Psychological Ways to Reduce Cortisol Levels.

2. Happy New Year! This year, how about instead of resolutions, we forge healthy habits?

I’ve been quiet during the festive season and am just getting back into the swing of things here; new programme at the gym, healthier eating schedule, business goals, travel plans and a range of various things I’ve been focused on at the start of the new year and I’m now climbing out of my own brief hibernation and getting out in the world once again…

Every new year brings a familiar surge of motivation that we all see. Gym memberships rise, alcohol consumption dips, cupboards fill with healthier food, and diaries become crowded with good intentions. Yet for many people, these efforts fade within weeks. By February, old routines often return, leaving frustration, self-criticism, and a sense of failure in their wake.

The problem is usually not a lack of willpower. Psychology has shown repeatedly that habits are not forged through motivation alone. They are built through learning, repetition, environment, emotion, and identity. To forge healthy habits that genuinely stick, we must understand how habits work at a psychological level — and how to work with the brain rather than against it.

I thought I’d kick the new year off with an article exploring what habits are, why they are so difficult to change for many people, and how psychological science can help people forge healthy habits that last. The strategies outlined here are evidence-based, practical, and designed for people navigating the complexities of modern life. I recommend adopting a few of the processes and looking how to incorporate them into your daily life as you seek to affect change as the new year gets underway.

Read Full Article: How to Forge Healthy Habits That Stick Using Psychology.
 

From the vaults....

1. Despite many seeming to be more and more disillusioned with them these days, New Year’s resolutions have helped many people start on the path to making significant positive changes in their lives. People who question the efficacy of New Year’s resolutions often point me to studies such as a fairly recent one that indicated that just 20% of “resolvers” still adhere to their goals two years later. After how many years?! After two years, only one in five people still followed their resolution? I see that as a half-full glass. Okay, it’s only half full, but that’s still a decent amount of water to drink. In a more recent study with a larger sample size, 55% of those who made resolutions kept them after a year. It’s not all bad.

So yes, some people do achieve their New Year’s resolutions. There are other ways to help yourself become healthier and happier in the New Year if you are opposed to traditional New Year’s resolutions for whatever reason. If you are looking for something slightly different to get you interested at this time of year, then simply choose one or more of the unconventional routes.

I’ve listed below, or draw inspiration from them to create your own change. If you are clueless about what things to do instead of new year resolutions, read on….

Read Full Article: Things to Do Instead of New Year Resolutions.
 

2. The new year is just around the corner, and we all are heading towards what is often seen as an opportunity for a completely new start. Such a new start could of course be taken any day of the year, but the new year is a time that many seize as an opportunity. The prospect of the new year – for many – means new opportunities and challenges, and therefore it becomes a time that many use to set new goals and resolutions to ensure that you have the best possible year ahead. The last few weeks of the old year and the first week of the new year are considered by many to be the best time to let go of the things that need to be let go of, and to plan things for the future, not only in the short run but also in the longer term. The start of the new year is the a time to take stock of your achievements and to make plans for what you wish to achieve next.

It can be a time for reflection as one year ends; looking upon the previous year, analysing successes and progress as well as recognising mistakes, or things that did not go so well and then using it all as constructive feedback and profound learning from the previous year to see what is it that you need to do better this year or try to avoid the next year.

Why is it Important to Have a Good Start?
Giving yourself a new and healthy start can mean really positive things for yourself. You get to create some momentum.

You might not want you to be right in the middle of the year thinking regretting the start of it and potentially not prepared to embark upon change deeming it too late.

It is therefore important for many of us to start off your new year with motivation and the intention to achieve something, feeling more satisfied and wholesome. Why not seize the opportunity the new year presents?

Read Full Article: How To Kickstart Your New Year in Style?
 

3. Your best year ever – It is a grand statement indeed.

“We have to do the best we are capable of. This is our sacred human responsibility.” ~ Albert Einstein.

Yes, it’s the new year already! I recognise that is the kind of statement that smacks of a man in his early 50s, but to caricature myself even further – the past year did fly by!

Resolutions have been made, and some have already been broken. The gyms have started emptying since the 2nd of January. If you’re looking to make 2026 your best year ever in terms of personal and professional progress, you may have to look at things differently.

“Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but in playing a poor hand well.” ~ Denis Waitley.

Most of our new year’s resolutions often start with the best of intentions yet often quickly run out of steam, only to become a dim and distant memory by Spring. And there’s a good reason for that: it takes more than a simple promise to bring about lasting change and create your best year ever.

Whether you have set your goals for the year or it’s still on your to-do list, read on to learn how to make 2019 your best year ever!

Read Full Article: 10 Steps to Make This Your Best Year Ever.

4. (At the time of writing this...) Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve (yeah baby!) which means if you’re like most people out there, this time right now represents your final hours to point, aim, and fire your “resolutions” into 2016. Your vision board is ready, you’ve dusted off your goal writing materials, your calendar is out, and you’re pondering all the great things you’re going to accomplish in the new year…. Aren’t you?

This represents a wonderful opportunity, a time to craft, create and forge the year that you want for yourself. The end of one year and the beginning of the next is an incredibly fertile period of time. We get to let go and shake off the year that has gone by, and we get to turn a new leaf.

“Don’t Let Yesterday Take Up Too Much Of Today.” -Will Rogers

We all want to begin the New Year with the best intentions, ditching our unwanted old habits for good new ones, for example. We want to achieve goals, be productive, live a rewarding and fulfilling life, have fun, enjoy our existence and realise more of our potential once and for all!

You know what’s coming next, don’t you? Most resolutions end up as disappointment, as millions fail in the bid to achieve what they initially wanted to. A new beginning, a better ‘me’, ends up being the same old tune sung every year. A bit like when we sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at midnight, the first verse at full throttle, then we mutter the first few seconds of the next verse as we don’t really know the words and it sort of whimpers out as we look for someone to kiss instead…. Resolutions are the same, we strap on our shiny new gym kit for the first week of January, pumping iron every day for a whole week, then visit again once in February before our new regime whimpers out altogether.

According to researcher and psychologist Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol, 88 percent of all New Year’s resolutions fail. That’s 156 million failed resolutions and downhearted minds each and every year! What a shame! All those dreams, all those desires, all those hopes!
So what are the reasons you are likely to fail to keep your New Year’s resolutions?

Read Full Article: 9 Reasons Your New Year’s Resolutions Fail And The Inspirational Remedy

5. One exciting thing about new year time for many, is that you get to make new goals and resolutions, perhaps with a renewed sense of vigour and enthusiasm. With every new year, you are availing yourself a great new opportunity to reflect, restore and turn a new leaf and though I appreciate you can do this any time of year, the new year tends to be a time that many choose to do so.

You maybe made new resolutions last year as well. How many of those did you complete? And have you set out some plans for yourself this year? Have you planned to meditate daily? Or decided to eat healthier? And maybe even to prioritise yourself? Or exercise daily? If so, how has your past record of sticking to your goals gone in past years?

I understand that some things are easier said than done. You often need the motivation to realise your goals and to help you achieve them. But again, motivation isn’t necessarily that easy. Learning to tune into it the right way, you’ll have so much to gain. And your past struggles don’t mean that you can’t find success ahead.

You may not know it, but setting goals can be good for your mental health and for your personal satisfaction. But we may at times set goals and aspirations that, in reality, are far too difficult to attain. Failure to achieve these goals can result in a feeling of frustration, often to the extent that it can shatter your self-confidence. And again, the key to sticking to plans is embedded in motivation. Fortunately enough, there are several effective ways to help you trick yourself into staying motivated – and productively positive. This could really help you attain your goal, no matter how big or small.

Here are a number of tips and techniques for you to manoeuvre your way through the different goals you may have set out for yourself. Here is to making more goals – and achieving them!

Read Full Article: The Psychology of How to Stick to Your Goals.