New You's Resolutions — Changing Stresses, Blockages, Insecurities and Imbalances

Gerald Young, Ph.D is an associate professor of psychology at York University, practicing psychologist and author of "You Can Regain Joy:Blogging for Today’s Psychology." 

Excerpt from You Can Rejoin Joy: Blogging for Today’s Psychology

The start of a new year can be a start of a new you, even if you begin small and slow. If you make realistic promises to yourself, they will be easier to realize. Moreover, you can always add others to fill them out along the way. You should treat each day as a new beginning, or start on that path.

To help you along, consider the following ways that positive changes can come about. First, I emphasize that much of the time stress can be dealt with positively. Stress is not only something out there because also it is something that we perceive according to our cognitive filters or schemes of the world and, of course, these can change for the better.

Second, if self-improvement is your goal, but you find it difficult, perhaps you can find ways of freeing the blocks in the way of your positive change. The self is something that can keep growing; through reflection and effort, blockages can be removed. The path to mental security is within your reach.

Third, if mental insecurities are so deeply ingrained that much reflection and effort are required, there still are ways of achieving your New You's resolutions. If making simple mental jumps to the positive side is impossible, and even detours are hard to find there still could be ways to free the mental jams. This might need much mental exploration, insight and effort, but your resolve is half the battle and psychology can help with the rest.

Fourth, you might have too many or too difficult psychological defenses protecting past hurts or inabilities to deal with stress for your wishes and efforts to lead to positive changes. However, mental defenses are not permanent and you might be ready to deal with them. By letting out the hurt and insecurities in a controlled and helpful way, you can gain the beginning of understanding, new positives, and the new you that you are seeking. Mental balance means facing in an honest and open way what holds you back. When you start on that path, the new you will rejoice.

Deciding to change for the better is the best choice, and taking steps toward this goal is a start to a New You. Having positive resolutions to begin the year is a great idea, but there is no reason not to start now and keep at it every day. After all, the New You will have it no other way.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BusinessNewsDaily.