New Year’s resolutions can be difficult to uphold, and a health expert gives advice on sticking with them.

According to Dallas County Health Department Community Educator Natalie Peters, the first aspect that people must determine about their goals is choosing an area that will personally motivate themselves. She emphasizes that people should focus on either one or two resolutions as that will be more attainable than trying to tackle an overwhelming amount of goals. Peters realizes that after a little bit of time, personal goals can fall to the wayside and presents solutions to get back on track.

“It can be helpful to tell your friends and your family what your resolutions is when you start, so that you have a support system to not only hold you accountable, but that you can also lean on when you need some motivation to continue. And then don’t be too hard on yourself when you make a mistake, because that can make an unhealthy mentality and just put you in the wrong headspace, so instead you should reflect on maybe what went wrong, where you can do better next time, but know that you can always start fresh again the next day.”

Peters recommends writing down personal objectives on a piece of paper, breaking them apart into smaller goals, and rewarding yourself when you do accomplish them.