New Year resolutions are 'bad for health', says charity

London, Jan 1 (ANI): Experts have claimed what many people would love to hear -"New Year's resolutions are meant to be broken". According to a mental health charity, making self-improvement vows can often leave people feel worse.

The charity Mind said that resolutions which focus on physical imperfections - such as bids to lose weight - create a negative self image and lead to feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem and even mild depression, reports the Telegraph.

And when those optimistic resolutions fail that could trigger feelings of failure and inadequacy, the charity said.

Mind chief executive Paul Farmer said: "New Year's resolutions can sometimes focus on our problems or insecurities such as being overweight, feeling unhappy in our jobs or feeling guilty about not devoting enough time to friends and family throughout the year.

"We chastise ourselves for our perceived shortcomings and set unrealistic goals to change our behaviour, so it's not surprising that when we fail to keep resolutions, we end up feeling worse than when we started.

"In 2009, instead of making a New Year's resolution, think positively about the year to come and what you can achieve." (ANI)