By Dr. Deborah Simmons

Many people make New Year’s resolutions and feel great initially about making a change.  It can be exciting to start something new.  By the second week of the year, energy and motivation are waning and the resolutions are skidding.  Uh-oh.  What do we do now? 

Hint #1:  Persistence is the wonder word to keep change going.  This isn’t magic, folks.  It is mindful doggedness.  Determination.  Pushing through.  Resilience.  Decide that it is time to do whatever it is you have decided to do. 

Hint #2:  You don’t need to like change to change.  Like Nike’s “Just Do It” Swoosh, you just need to do it.   Then do more of it. 

Hint #3:  Imagine the outcome of the change you want to make.  Let yourself see it in your beautiful mind, without any editing.  Dream about it at night.  Hypnosis is great to imagine and reinforce change. 

Hint #4:  Have some compassion for yourself when you get off track.  Is someone going to take away your birthday because your diet or exercise gets messed up?  Just get back on track and return often to Hints #1 and #2 and #3 and #4. 

All of us at Partners in Healing of Minneapolis believe in you!  Here are some other words of encouragement for you:     

•    Self-criticism is optional.   

•    You are a better person than you will ever know. 

•    You are more powerful than you give yourself credit for. 

•    You are more capable than you realize.   

•    You can persist even when you don’t think you can.

•    You are adorable.  It’s true!

We welcome other hints that have helped you to persist and reach your goals.  Share them with us and our community.  We are all here to help each other. 

     Authored by Dr. Alana Riss Fine

I was reading this weekend's Parade Magazine and found Emily Listfield's article on smoking cessation and weight management.  Both are about habit control.  Gain control over your own habits and gain peace in your life.  Call me at Partners in Healing at 763-546-5797 and set up an appointment for hypnosis.  I can also teach you the LEARN Program, where you can lose weight mindfully.   

Give Up Smoking Without Gaining Weight (by Emily Listfield)

According to the American Cancer Society, half of all Americas who smoke will die of tobacco-related causes such as lung cancer or emphysema.  For some smokers, however, there's another, more immediate fear.  Nicotine suppresses the appetite and helps boost the metabolism, so many smokers worry they'll gain weight if they quit.  "People feel caught between a rock and a hard place," says Dr. Bonnie Spring of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  "They care about both their appearance and their health."Fortunately, they don't have to choose one or the other.  In fact, controlling your weight may actually help you drop your nicotine habit.  A recent Northwestern study showed that women who joined a weight-loss support were not only less likely to gain weight; they were also up to 29% more successful in quitting smoking.

Dr. Spring hopes her study will change the standard advice:  "Until now, more doctors have warned against trying to control two behaviors at once.  Our results show that trying to manage weight gain does not undermine smoking cessation but rather enhances it."