New Year Resolutions are often doomed to failure because they are too ambitious.  They can also be rather boring.  Instead of giving yourself unrealistic expectations, why not approach the new year in a different way that hopefully will make you feel good about yourself, be more confident and better able to cope with your horrid parent.    Our suggestions offer you things to think about, things to write down and things to remember.

 1.  Before the new year begins try to clear your mind of obsessions, big or small  that have been bugging you in 2018.  This could include minor irritations about people you know, the amount of time you spend looking for your keys or something someone said to you ages ago that still makes you feel bad.  Either deliberately park them at the back of your mind and refuse to dwell on them any more.  Or write them down, scrunch up the paper unto a small ball, then throw it away.  This should help you welcome in 2019 feeling less bogged down by trivia. 

 2. Write down three things that you are good at.  It doesn’t matter what they are and they can be as simple as remembering football scores, making muffins or doing crosswords.

 3.  Write down three kind things you have done for a friend, relative or an animal.  These can be simple too and include phoning someone to see how they are, stroking your pet or helping a blind person cross the road.     

4.  Finally write down one thing you have done this year that’s enabled you cope when your parent was being horrid to you.  Remind yourself how effective it was, how it made you feel and if you could modify it to use in other slightly different but equally unpleasant situations.    

There are also three important things to remember about your horrid parent. 

You will not be able to change them.  

Your parent arrived on earth well before you did and therefore you are not to blame for their behaviour or characteristics.   

You are not alone.  It is the unfortunate fate of many others to cope with similar experiences.   

We can’t foresee what will happen in the world but we can help ourselves.  We hope this assist you in getting the new year off to a positive start