It’s that time of year!
Again.
If you’re feeling anything like I am: That 2021 has been a blur (kind of like 2020 was), then you might be feeling less than motivated to make a list of goals for the New Year.
I get it.
The past couple of years have been overwhelming. If you need help reducing your stress and pushing back against feeling overwhelmed, try some new goals this year. Now is the perfect time to make plans to eliminate stress, take better care of your body and mind, enforce healthy boundaries, and spend time doing activities that improve your happiness.
If you’re ready to write a list, DO IT! You can change some things, come up with more, or remove some things.
Getting started is the biggest hurdle!
Do you feel like goal setting is useless? “Who knows what 2022 will hold for us! Why bother with setting goals when everything still feels out of control? Why set goals when I don’t know what I’ll be able to do!”
I hear you!
Is goal setting worth it?
Yes.
Chances are, you’ll need to continue on doing some form of what you’re doing right now, even if things will need to be adjusted somewhat.
Where to begin?
According to verywellmind.com, there are tips to maintaining goals and adopting healthy habits. Some things you can do:
Set the right goals
Making sure the goal you are setting is achievable is important. Do you want to lose 90 pounds in one month? That’s not a realistic goal, and you’ll be setting yourself up for frustration and failure. Do you want to become healthier? Start by measuring how you feel getting out of bed each morning, or how well your clothes are fitting. These may seem like vague measurements, but when you’re focused on a goal, you’ll be paying attention to changes.
Take small, concrete steps
Would you like to get your graduate degree? Or take a new class? A goal of “graduate” is too broad when you haven’t started yet. While graduate may be the end goal, break it down. Start at “sign up for class(es).”
Reward yourself along the way
Did you sign up for classes? Attend your first class?
Have you been sleeping better since switching your diet?
Did you go to your first coffee meeting with a new friend?
This is wonderful! Reward yourself!
If you wait until the end to treat yourself for your successes, you run the risk of giving up or losing interest. Small rewards help you to stay motivated and feeling good about the new direction you’re moving in.
Consider slip-ups to be part of the process
Did you mess up? Were you too tired to meet up with that new friend? Did you skip exercising for a week?
This is OKAY.
Really.
We all slip and fall. No one’s path is direct from: goal setting TO goal. Recognizing from the outset, that we all slip up sometimes, helps us to get back on track as quickly as possible without totally giving up. There’s no need to quit because you haven’t worked towards your goal this month. Start again tomorrow.
Every day is a new day to start again!
Real-world examples
I’m going to focus on stress reduction, improving my productivity, being a more mentally present parent, and continuing to foster new friendships that are meaningful.
One goal that will hopefully decrease feelings of overwhelm, improve writing productivity, AND help me to be more present with my kids, is to, “Change my social media consumption.”
This is one BIG goal. So, I’m going to break it down into smaller, easy to manage steps. I plan to:
-stop reading news articles before bed (or any time after 5pm)
-put a limit on the amount of time I can access social network sites daily (45 minutes per day)
-put my phone out of sight when I’m in the same room with my children (unless being used to communicate with a friend or relative about one of the children or my family)
This year I’d like to spend more time feeling happy, content, and grateful, and less time feeling overwhelmed and stressed by horrific news stories or differences of opinion.
I can make it happen.
So can you!
You just need to get it down on paper.
https://www.verywellmind.com/goal-setting-and-reaching-goals-3145004
This post was written by Jessica Flood, MSW, and published by Convenient Counseling Services.
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