Happy New Year from WPS! Start your year off right

2021 is wrapping up and we're all set to ring in the new year. It's been a challenging year for many people. WPS has been right there with so many customers as they coped with changes and overcame setbacks. On the WPS Your Health Matters blog, we spend a lot of time talking about wellness and healthy living.

Lots of people like to use the new year to set new wellness and healthy living goals for themselves. It can be overwhelming to try to improve yourself. For our Happy New Year message, we wanted to offer some tips for setting realistic goals and the best strategies for following through on them. Many of these ideas and strategies come from the American Psychological Association.

Setting and keeping realistic goals for the new year

For many of us, the new year can feel like a new beginning. Who hasn't wished for a fresh start or a do-over? The downside of that is when we fail to live up to our high expectations, it can feel demotivating. Make your resolutions more realistic with these tips.

Take it one step at a time

Maybe you want to start eating less junk food or start spending more time outdoors being active. Take these resolutions one step at a time. If it's junk food, then you may be better off picking one snack to cut out rather than all your favorite snacks at once. If you're trying to get more active, you don't need to go run a 5k tomorrow. Take a walk around your neighborhood instead to start small.

Talk about your goals

Share your goals and your motivations for setting them with your loved ones and friends. Sharing this with other people can help keep you motivated. You'll have someone to support you through setbacks and celebrate successes with you. This kind of reinforcement can make your journey feel less intimidating and more within reach.

Don't let setbacks set you back

No one is perfect. Don't beat yourself up for skipping the gym, not taking that walk, or picking up your bad habits again. Everyone has difficult days. You don't want to obsess over trying to be perfect. Just start over the next day and keep going in a positive direction.

Ask for help when you need it

It could be an encouraging message from a friend, asking a professional at the gym for help, or getting assistance from a mental health professional. Reaching new goals and overcoming challenges can be stressful or even overwhelming. Professionals and experts can offer you adjustments or strategies on how to make your goals more attainable.

Have a happy and healthy new year

We hope that in 2022 you set and reach attainable goals. Wherever your journey takes you, remember to:

• Take it one step at a time
• Reach out to loved ones
• Go easy on yourself
• Ask for help

These tips, along with the many health and wellness resourcesoffered by WPS, can provide the right combination that help get you to your goals.It's a simple recipe that can lead to powerful results.

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