Setting Goals

When suffering with a mental health, people alway wonder what they can do to help themselves and one thing which I learnt from my time in hospital was setting goals can really make a difference.

Why should I set goals?

Setting goals can give you something to work towards it doesn’t have to be anything extravagant it can be something as small as getting out of bed and getting dressed. For most people this can seem like nothing but for those suffering it can be one of the biggest challenges as they see no point in even getting up in the morning.

Why is it important?

It is highly important as this is allows us to believe in ourselves and show that we can do things we didn’t believe we could. It also allows us to try and focus on something other than the depression, anxiety etc. It definitely allowed me to get further along the process of my recovery. Recovery isn’t the easiest of things to go through and sometimes you can go backwards but setting goals can help you moved forward.

Is there anything I can use to help me achieve my goals?

There are a few things which I have come across over the past year of achieving my goals and I will share a few of these with you. Some of these include;

• Goals yearly diary, this will allow you to keep track of your goals and set goals weekly while going through your day. Definitely one to keep in mind for your diary this year.
• Goal notebook, this one doesn’t have a layout as it is just a normal notebook but this allows you set your goals the way you would like them to be set out.
• Goals Planner (printable), this is brilliant if you want to just print and use as an when you want. You can use this to set yearly goals or help you to create healthy habits and track these. Definitely one to take a look at as once you have purchased you can just keep printing to your heart content.

So there are 100’s of different ways in which you can track your goals whether you want to do this from a notebook, diary or even on your mobile device.

How to set good goals?

Goals are a very useful tool when your on the road of recovery. You just need to make sure that you set SMART targets. If you are not familiar with SMART goals then here is a breakdown;

S – Specific – What do I want to accomplish?

M – Measurable – How I know when it is accomplished?

A – Achievable – How can the goal be accomplished?

You don’t want to set yourself a goal which isn’t going to be achievable, you can make goals small and just make marginal gains. You want your goals to give you some sense of achievement. 

R  – Relevant – Does the goal seem worthwhile?

T  – Time Bound – When can I accomplish this goal?

If you don’t achieve your goal in the time frame you have given, do not beat yourself up as you can always try this the next day or week. We cannot always achieve everything we want to do when we would like to do it. There have been times when I haven’t been able to achieve the goals I have set myself, but the most important thing is to not let this set you back.