The turkey is finally eaten, the coconut chocolates are the only ones left in the box and the last few needles are clinging to the tree.
And with New Year fast approaching, attention is turning to 2019 and the pledges people make to effect positive change in their lives.
Exercising more, losing weight, eating more healthily are the three most common New Year鈥檚 resolutions, according to a ComRes Poll in 2015.
But whether it is giving up smoking, drinking less alcohol or saving money, psychotherapist Karin Sieger says that people embarking on New Year鈥檚 resolutions might need a strategy and support 鈥� including therapy 鈥� help to reach their goal.
鈥淣ew Year is a date in the diary which helps us focus,鈥� said Karin, a 香港六合彩精准资料-accredited and registered psychotherapist.
鈥淚t is also a date after a festive season where it is often not frowned upon to overindulge. People have one last fling with the things they want to stop because in the New Year it will all change. It鈥檚 a nice excuse.
鈥淩esolutions are at the top of the mind for many people. It鈥檚 being talked about and written about and, because we are not on our own, it can make it easier.
鈥淏ut for it to work people need to take time to understand what is involved. And they need patience, because lifestyle changes don鈥檛 just happen.鈥�
Motivation
The ComRes survey found that a quarter of all UK adults made a New Year鈥檚 resolution, but fewer than one in eight successfully kept one.
The most common reasons for giving up or not achieving a resolution were a lack of commitment and a loss of motivation.
But Karin said that imposing a lifestyle change on one specific day of the year is itself problematic.
鈥淒o you really want to call a serious personal change a New Year鈥檚 resolution?鈥� she asked. 鈥淒oes it make it a bit frivolous?
鈥淚f it鈥檚 a resolution I think that has a start and an end, like I want to lose 5kg.
鈥淲hy do people feel you just pick a date in the diary to make a lifestyle change?
鈥淵ou need to understand why you engage in the habits that you think you want to stop.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 to fulfil an emotional or psychological purpose, which most of them do, you can鈥檛 stop the habit without something in place that supports you.
鈥淚f you are smoking for comfort or stress, the stress is not going to stop just because you stop smoking.
鈥淵ou will continue to need comfort. For many, if you have a vacuum there, the stress is still there and could increase without the comfort. It鈥檚 a double whammy.鈥�
Domino effect
She added: "What do you have to fall back on?
鈥淧eople replace one thing with another. I call it the domino effect. We then have another habit and have to stop that one as well.
鈥淚t can lead to a sense of frustration. People think 鈥榳hat鈥檚 wrong with me, why can鈥檛 I correct this?鈥�.
鈥淵ou end up feeling trapped and sometimes therapy comes into it. If you dig a bit deeper you might understand what is causing the stress, what is behind the need for comfort.
鈥淗opefully, you can find out ways of avoiding this situation in the first place.鈥�
Karin, , says that people embarking on lifestyle changes in the New Year should think about whether they tell other people.
鈥淒oes your success depend on support from others?鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou might want to think about whether you want to talk about it with other people because you are under the microscope.
鈥淧eople will watch you. You open yourself up to more pressure. You can set yourself up for a sense of failure.
鈥淔or other people, the pressure of it might be just what they need. Some people need to be under the microscope.
鈥淚f you live with other people and it is something that will impact their lifestyle, meals for example, or drink, then I think it is important that they know what is going on and that they support you.
鈥淚f you know you have a thing about alcohol then people in your home can support you.鈥�
Be realistic
Indeed, Karin said that in some cases it can be fun to achieve something in the New Year with a friend or a partner.
鈥淚t is nice to do things together,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or example, it鈥檚 nice to do sports together. Whatever it is, it shouldn鈥檛 cause stress.
鈥淧eople need to be realistic. If you want to start running but haven鈥檛 done a lot of exercise you need to build up to it.
鈥淩ather than start at the top, people have to have a realistic way of building themselves up.
鈥淚t does take some commitment, because in many cases it is a lifestyle change.鈥�
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