How to stick with your resolutions and tips to help you quit smoking.....

I always hear people say 'Resolutions never work' or 'Resolutions only last the month'. However last year I gave up smoking as a resolution and 1 year later I'm still going strong and you can too.

To make a resolution work it does not need to be as of midnight New Years Eve because lets be realistic, that won't work. For example, giving up smoking at midnight the most popular night for people drinking just won't work. So last year and most years, I start my resolutions the first Monday of the year, which is when life normally returns to the usual routine. I highly recommend changing anything or starting a new habit when you are ready because if your not ready you will lose motivation quickly.

Treat yourself, replace a bad habit with a good one. I downloaded an app last year called EasyQuit stop smoking, that kept track of the benefits to your health after giving up smokes and how much money you are saving. I set a goal that the first €100 I saved from not smoking, I was treating myself to a Spa Day and I found this motivated me quite alot. Every hard moment, I checked the app to see where I was and would Google Spa packages to distract me and get excited, by the time I saved the €100 I got through the hard part.

Don't be too hard on yourself if you slip, this is important with any habit really but if you slip then thats fine but remember to dust yourself off the next day and keep going. I always gave myself a rule to work by, I allow myself to slip on smoking when I drink because lets be realistic, if I didnt and had a few drinks and had a smoke I would feel so defeated the next morning which I feel would send me in a spiral and lose motivation, where if I have a few smokes when drinking then I make sure before I go to bed that my hands are washed, teeth are brushed, face is washed, clothes are changed and I have a shower first thing in the morning and then I feel brand new as if it never happened and can keep carrying on, although I don't drink often so if you drink frequently this exception might not work for you.

Be in the right frame of mind, I'm not the type of person who can just decide on something and start it straight away, I need to work myself up to it and get my mind ready for it. If you are planning to stop a bad habit, for a week beforehand keep reminding yourself this is my last week and that way you don't feel like you are missing out when it happens. I am a big believer in the 'this is my last smoke' and I really feel like it helps knowing that I had a last smoke.

Lastly, be realistic. Change one thing at a time. Don't go into a new year, month or week with multiple changes. Use all your focus on one task at a time. Let it become a new healthy habit that you don't think about any more and then move on the next one. Life is a marathon not a sprint!! Good luck and remember, you can do this!!