Secret to Keeping Those Resolutions: Get Religious?? (A Response)

[amileegirl]

I was reading a daily buzz.  Here are the exerpts from the orignal article first:

Secret to Keeping Those Resolutions: Get Religious

Do you attend church regularly? Then you're already one step ahead of the game when it comes to keeping those New Year's resolutions.  Psychologists at the University of Miami say religious belief and piety are secret ingredients to self control, according to a recent story in The New York Times.

...

Here are some of the reasons religious people might be able to make resolutions and stick to them:

Believers are used to following rules.
They have a social network in place to guide, advise and help them stay on track. (Couldn't we all use Resolution Buddies?)
Believers are more likely than others to use self control to wear their seat belts, go to the dentist, take their vitamins--so they might be more likely to reach new goals, too.
When temptation arises, they can use religious words and thoughts to fight them back effectively.
To stay on track and make your 2009 better than last year, researchers suggest you keep going to church if you are a believer. But what if you're not into all that religious stuff? Try doing more private meditation and join an organization with strong ideals.

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Look...84% of people in the United States are self described religous and consider themselves believers so this is meaningless.

It's NOT the religon, it is the status and support.    It's not prayer, but a positive mindset.  

If you have support of others in a group (ANY group) that you are a member of you are less likely to suffer from stress, anxiety, and various insecurities that come with being a lone wolf.      Of course, being part of a group will impose a willingness to please that group and that can enhance individual desires and successes--absolutely!  IF that group has practices and rules that encourage healthy diet, stress coping mechanisms, and ready support in times of need -- the individuals will benefit.   An individual who already has a keen sense of willpower will find conforming in highly structured groups very easy and may thrive in such an environment.      On the other hand, a group that is TOO structured and goes against some fundamental biological or pschological factors will increase stress, anxiety, and insecurity leading to a shorter lifespan and fewer successes.     This is why it is also very important to find the right group, because a group you clash with or do not get along with will contribute to stress and anxiety--which are obviously not productive.

We ARE social animals after all.

It is much like the trends in longevity issues between individuals of high status (rich) and those of lower status (poor).   Is is NOT the money that is increasing longevity, it is social support and stress level associated with having available resources and not having to worry over where the next meal is coming from.  

Simply going to a place of religous worship and going through the motions is not enough, because the key factor is not proximity to religon or religous practices, but rather experience with committment and availability of support.         Jenny Craig or Weightwatchers.    Gym buddies or running partners.    Book club or Tuesday afternoon tea.    It doesn't matter as long as the people withing those partnerships and groups function as encouragement during times of stress.

Prayer is also not the deciding factor, however, positive thinking IS a factor.   It doesn't matter if you pray, meditate, invoke, wish on a lucky star, carry around a rabbits foot, read daily affirmations on post-its, or simply have a Sally Sunshine gene.  If you are able to focus on the positive using words or tokens, or have the ability to brush off the negative, you are more likely to be successful.

People who have more success with their resolutions are those who:

1.  Have experience following rules and deadlines (ANY experience -- there are multitudes to choose from)
2   Made the resolution because it is what they wanted, not what someone else dictates
3.  Want it bad enough (drive is extremely important!)
4.  Set reasonable, attainable, mini-goals leading up to the big one -- unrealistic resolutions fail.
5.  Have a plan of action -- a goal without a plan is much more likely to fail
6.  Have support (friends, family, or ANY group -- ideals irrelevant)
7.  Ability to see an obstacle as a minor delay and simply move on
8.  Recognize when a plan isn't working and form a NEW plan of action
9.  Do not see not attaining a goal as a faliure, but instead focus on how far they have gotten closer to that goal and keep going!
10.  Maintain a positive attitude

[beeky]

Jan. 6, 2009 at 10:24 AM

BRAVO my dear!

[belladonna777]

Jan. 6, 2009 at 10:56 AM

Yay!  Thank FSM you are back with your logical, bad self.

My Resolution?  Not to let those NUTS get to me.  No journal browsing for me.  Well....................at least no snarky replying lol.

[jramsaran]

Jan. 6, 2009 at 1:26 PM

so if that article was true....then we should see an huge decrease in smokers and overweight people (as those are the 2 of the move often used resolutions)

someone should warn marlboro and mcdonald's

[Enchantee]

Jan. 6, 2009 at 5:20 PM

Nice!  Well-done, clearly executed, & simply written.  I like it!  Kudos, sweetie! 

Keep writing, my dear!

Hugs...Ceci 

[Momma_Halo]

Jan. 6, 2009 at 5:29 PM

Exactly! If you have a group of people pushing you to better yourself and not dragging you down then you are heading in the right direction. If you are trying to be a vegetarian and you hang out at a beef support group... that is not going to work in your favor.

[SxdUpAngel]

Jan. 11, 2009 at 8:15 AM

Damn!  I missed these journals!