Mental Health Tips: The Power of Goal Setting
Goal setting is a great tool to organise, plan, track and analyse the journey you’re on. A lot of businesses use this method to develop and enhance. The same technique can be used for your personal growth, mental health and well-being. It provides you with direction, gives you control and a sense of purpose. It’s a way of creating changes that you want in your life.
Goals help you align your focus which can enhance your personal development. Goal setting is an excellent source of motivation, and it can motivate you to grow. You most likely use a specific type of goal setting in your life already, as we use goal-setting in everyday life, whether it’s work, education or gym. To use goal-setting to maintain your mental health and manage your wellbeing, follow the next five steps.
Write Your Goals Down
Take a pen and paper. Write all of your goals down. Put it on the fridge, your wall or a mirror, so you can look at them every day. Remind yourself every day of your goals and the journey you’re on. That way, your goals become more visual and real. There's a bigger chance you will achieve your goals if they stare at you from the paper.
Make Your Goals Small
Start small - it's fine to dream big but to achieve those big goals, you need to accomplish the daily ones. Think of it as a game, to reach the finish line; you have many daily adventures and challenges you have to win first. Start with goals daily and go from there to weekly, monthly and yearly. After achieving your small goals throughout a day, you will feel fulfilled and confident of reaching your bigger goals!
Set up Smart Goals
In psychology, we use the term SMART goals which means specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based goals. This means that when setting up your goals, you make sure they are all of the above. It makes it easier to track your goals and your journey if they’re SMART. The simpler the plan, the easier it will be to achieve it, and it will prepare you for bigger goals.
S: Going for an hour walk every day for a month
M: Use apps and a calendar to schedule your daily walk. You can then use apps to measure your progress
A: Yes! This is perfectly achievable
R: It’s pretty realistic
T: An hour a day, every day for a month - sounds timely to me!
Image: Silvija Zabcic
Remember – set up realistic goals.
We often set up unrealistic goals that are just hard to achieve. That makes us feel like losers, and it affects our mental health negatively. That’s why your goals need to be realistic and achievable. It’s essential to know your limits, strengths and weaknesses to set up realistic goals. However, don’t forget to dream big, because anything is possible.
Tomorrow is a new day.
If you fail a goal - don't worry! The world is still here. You have been given another day to wake up and try achieving your goals. You're in charge of your own purposes which means you get to pick your goals, how you reach them and when. So, remember not to overthink, remind yourself of every goal you have achieved so far and think how far you've come on your journey.
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Written by Silvija Zabcic
