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Starting a new year does not require a brand new version of you. It only asks that you keep going. A resolution can be as simple as choosing to show up.
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Most people abandon resolutions not because they lack motivation, but because the goal is too big or too hard to do. The simplest, most reliable fix to keeping a resolution is to make smaller, realistic, manageable goals.
Choose one behavior that takes five minutes or less and commit to doing only that.
Don’t make it the minimum goal, just do one behavior as your entire resolution.
-If the goal is to move more, walk for five minutes daily.
-If the goal is mental health, write one sentence in a journal daily.
-If the goal is recovery, send one check-in text to yourself or read one page of supportive material per day.
Tackling a goal that only takes five minutes removes decision fatigue, helps lower resistance to keeping the goal, and keeps the habit intact on hard days.
| | Staff Spotlight - Debbie Robinson, MS, FACHE | | |
Debbie Robinson, MS, FACHE earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and her Master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire (Go Wildcats!). She began her healthcare career as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist on an inpatient psychiatric unit, where she quickly discovered a talent for building, directing, and sustaining high-quality patient care services.
Over a 30 year career with the State of New Hampshire, Debbie held senior leadership roles spanning inpatient psychiatry, corrections-based mental health, and transitional housing. Her work included serving as Director of the Rehabilitation Department at New Hampshire Hospital, Administrator of the Secure Psychiatric Unit for the Department of Corrections, and Administrator of Philbrook Adult Transitional Housing. Across these roles, she led multidisciplinary teams, managed large-scale operations, and worked at the intersection of behavioral health, public safety, and community reintegration, bringing consistency, dignity, and accountability to some of the state’s most challenging care environments.
Debbie’s superpower is advocacy. She brings that commitment to her service as Secretary and Board Member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (NH Chapter), Board Member and Co-Chair of the Community Mobilization Committee for the American Red Cross (NH Chapter), and Vice Chair of the New Hampshire Behavioral Health Planning & Advisory Council, where she contributes to statewide strategy, policy alignment, and cross-sector collaboration. She is also a graduate of Leadership New Hampshire (Class of 2023), a competitive statewide fellowship focused on collaborative leadership and systems-level problem solving. Debbie is also the 2023 recipient of NAMI- NH award: Systems Transformation Leader, for her tireless leadership in developing programs that help people transition to safe and secure living.
In her new role as National Outreach Specialist at WestBridge, Debbie draws on decades of public-sector leadership and frontline behavioral health experience to educate practitioners, facilities, and prescribers nationwide about WestBridge’s innovative, person-centered services, while building trusted referral relationships grounded in clinical understanding and shared values.
Debbie lives in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, and is happiest with a good book and a lake view on a sunny day.
| | New Year's Resolution Checklists | | |
When you step back and look at the guidance from mental health clinicians, psychologists, and addiction-recovery experts, a few consistent patterns emerge. Resolutions work best when they reduce pressure, increase self-awareness, and build repeatable support into daily life. From those observations, the following checklist distills the most actionable, evidence-based practices into one practical tool, whether you are a family member or friend helping and supporting someone going through recovery or you need some simple steps to help yourself keep your new year’s resolutions.
Taking Care of Yourself This Coming Year:
A Simple Checklist
Figure out why You are doing this:
- Think about what you really want, not what you "should" do
- Make your goals about feeling better, not punishing yourself
- Pick just one to three things so you don't get overwhelmed
Keep it real
- Break big goals into tiny steps you can actually do
- Know what it will look like when you are doing well
- Give yourself permission to change the plan if you need to
Be kind to yourself
- Know that you will mess up sometimes and that's okay
- Stop thinking " You either did it perfectly or you failed"
- Talk to yourself, like you would talk to a friend having a hard time
Make it part of your day
- Add small new habits to things you already do (like breakfast or brushing your teeth)
- Put your mental health time on your calendar like it’s a scheduled meeting
- Set up reminders or get things ready ahead of time
Don't do this alone
- Tell at least one person what you are trying to do
- Set up regular times to talk with someone who gets it, a therapist, friend, or support group
- Ask for help in a way that feels good, not scary
Keep yourself safe
- Know when you are most likely to struggle (times, places, feelings)
- Write down two things you can do when things get hard
- Keep important phone numbers where you can find them fast
Take care of the basics first
- Go to bed and wake up around the same time
- Eat regular meals and drink water
- Move your body in whatever way feels okay
- Cut back on things that mess with your mood (like doom-scrolling or drinking)
Check in without being mean to yourself
- Notice if you are showing up, not if you are perfect
- Look at how things are going once a month instead of every day
- Change your goals if they're not working
End the year feeling good
- Celebrate the small wins, not just the big ones
- Remember what actually helped you
- Keep doing what worked instead of starting over from zero
A Weekly Check-In: Keeping Yourself On Track
Sunday or Monday: Plan the week
- Pick one thing to focus on this week (like sleep, boundaries, or talking to people)
- Choose one small thing you can do about it
- Make sure it fits with what's already happening in your life
Set yourself up to be okay
- Decide when you will sleep and wake up
- Plan when you will eat or set reminders
- Find time to move around, even just a little bit
- Think about cutting back on anything that makes you feel worse
Build it into your life
- Connect your goal to something you already do every day
- Get your stuff ready to use (your journal, an alarm, your walking shoes, phone numbers you might need)
- Put it on your calendar
Make sure You are not alone
- Plan to see or talk to someone who supports you
- Tell someone you trust what you are working on this week
- Ask for help in a way that feels safe
Get ready for the hard parts
- Think about one thing this week that might be tough
- Pick one thing you will do to get through it
- Keep important contacts where you can grab them
Check in with yourself halfway through (Wednesday)
- Ask: "What's helping?" and "What's making things harder?"
- Change your expectations if you are tired or stressed
- Notice that you ARE trying, even if it's not perfect
Friday or Saturday: Look back
- Name one thing you did well this week, write it in a journal
- Remember what helped you feel better or stay on track
- Think of one small change for next week
- Let go of guilt about what you didn't do
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Recipe courtesy of WestBridge's Chef: Bradley Labarre, CEC, CCA, AAC
Ingredients
20 sprigs of fresh thyme
Rosemary leaves from 3 sprigs
12-14 garlic cloves
1 peeled shallot
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut up
8-10 pound bone-in standing rib roast trussed and Frenched
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450°.
2. Season the roast well on all sides with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan.
3. Add the thyme, rosemary, garlic cloves, peeled shallot, 3 tablespoons of olive oil,
butter, and salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse on high speed until combined
and like a thick paste.
4. Add the herb paste to the rib roast cap side up and apply it to all sides of the roast.
5. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes and then turn the heat down to 325° and cook for 80-90 minutes for a rare to medium-rare internal temperature, or once it reaches a 110° - 115° internally using a thermometer.
6. Allow to rest, tented with aluminum foil, for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
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