Tony Flood’s wife and fellow author Heather Flood writing down their New Year’s Resolutions
Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions? If so, and you fear you will fail to keep them, don’t despair.
We can make positive changes to our lives that actually last if we follow the advice given by Sunday Times bestselling author Dr Rangan Chatterjee and the late Dr Michael Mosley.
Dr Rangan’s book Make Change That Lasts provides five magical words I am adopting as my own New Year’s Resolution. Read on, and I will reveal all so you can also benefit.
He points out that we often rely on soothing habits such as eating a snack or drinking a few beers (or a couple of glasses of wine) after a stressful day. `He provides nine simple ways to break free from the habits which hold us back, and improve our health, happiness and relationships.
Speaking in a televised interview on Lorraine, he revealed that it is important to experience a period of solitude every day – even by having a cup of coffee (or tea) in the morning in silence instead of reading emails or scrolling Instagram while we are drinking
He said: “A lot of people can’t make changes that last because they have got stress in their relationships, disagreeing with their partners or work colleagues. If you disagree with people all the time and want to change that, which will change your behaviour, use these five words ‘I have a different perspective’.”
I have now made it my New Year’s resolution to use this magical phrase, which should enable me to interact better with friends and relatives by avoiding telling them they are wrong!
We can also take a dose of Michael Mosley’s marvellous medicine by reading his book Just One Thing.
Michael, who presented television programmes on biology and medicine until his death at the age of 67 in Greece in June 2024, pointed out that when it comes to diet, fitness and wellbeing it can be hard to separate the facts from the fads. And harder still to find changes that fit easily into our daily lives.
Dr Mosley’s book helps readers find things they can introduce into their daily routine which will have an impact on their mental and physical health. For example, having more houseplants can improve our mood and boost our productivity.
Revealing a range of ‘Just One Things’ that could make a difference to how we feel, he wrote: “Small changes really can yield big benefits in terms of a better mood, improved sleep, a sharper brain and reduced disease risk.”
As an author of crime thrillers and a fantasy adventure, I was particularly pleased to see that Dr Mosley advocated reading a book – ideally fiction – for 30 minutes each day. He said: It’s a great form of escapism and when we get immersed in a good book this activates the many areas of our brains as we imagine the settings, sounds, smells and tastes.
* Both books are available on Amazon where samples of the e-versions are provided so readers can read these before deciding whether to purchase.
