Let’s start with this - I think there’s nothing wrong with setting, for example, SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals. I think they work for a lot of people, and they can truly give you a sense of direction. However, there’s another way of setting goals that might just be what you need right now.
If you’re easily stressed (holaaa), goals can feel pretty intimidating. Yes, they can feel exciting too, and they might just give you that motivation you were looking for. But keep in mind that they can also cause you to feel overwhelmed and stressed. If you know there’s a big pile of to do’s that you need to work through to reach certain goals, it’s tempting to just hide in bed under a big pile of blankets, ignoring all responsibilities and hoping the to do’s will magically do themselves (tried it - they won’t).
If you’re a member of the ESC (Easily Stressed Club), there’s another way to set goals that could lessen the pressure you put on yourself a bit. It’s a way of setting goals that I think could be beneficial to everyone, but that is especially NEEDED for those who, well, need it.
Instead of (or in addition to) setting SMART goals, where there’s a focus on the future, you could set goals that focus on how you want to feel right now and on what kind of person you want to be on a daily basis. I could explain this a bit further, but I think examples of these type of goals are the best way to show you what I mean:
- ‘I want to be an artist’
- ‘I want to go with the flow more often’
- ‘I want to be someone who’s always energetic’
- ‘I want to be someone who listens to the heart more than the head’
It can be helpful to have other types of goals too, but that’s completely up to you. If it gives you more stress than motivation, it could be interesting to see what it does for you when you step away from those goals for a bit.
About the above-mentioned type of goals: if one of your goals is to be an artist, you could ask yourself every day: ‘what could I do today that makes me feel like an artist?’. If you want to be someone who’s always energetic, you could ask yourself every day: ‘what could I do today to make sure I’m keeping my energy high?’. The answer to this last question could be something like ‘I will make sure that I eat enough fruit during the day’ or ‘I will take enough breaks’ or ‘I will go for a nice walk later’. This way you can take it day by day, which can feel more relaxing than ‘I need to work out every day’ or something among the lines of ‘I want to go to bed every day before 11 p.m’.
Love,
Lobke