The beginning of the year for many of us is a time of reflection, self assessment and setting resolutions. We want to eat better, especially after indulging during the holiday season, get in shape, read more, etc. but have you considered setting goals related to your mental health? I challenge you to make your mental health a top priority in 2023.
This may sound like a daunting task but with small steps, you’ll eventually focus on yourself and your mental wellness with very little effort. To start, set intentions not resolutions. Resolutions are often created from an emotionalplace and if not met, may leave you feeling worse emotionally. Furthermore, resolutions are usually for smaller goals like working out more or cutting out carbs and sugar. Intentions, on the other, are related to broader more ongoing goals such as traveling, building better or more effective relationships and self improvement, etc. Mental health is a form of self-improvement. You do not have to cut out resolutions if they work for you but incorporate intentions to help you set yourself up for even deeper, more long-lasting success. Be sure to start your intentions with the phrase, “I WILL” to make it more powerful with no room for it to simply be a possibility. Examples of intentions for your wellbeing include: “I WILL schedule an appointment with a professional to process unresolved issues and trauma,” “Every day I WILL spend 10 minutes focusing on my mental health” (i.e., via journaling, gratitude, movement, etc.) or “I WILL challenge negative thoughts when they arise.” In the comment section below share one mental health intention you have for 2023 and put that intention into an “I WILL” statement that supports your intention and also share your I WILL statement.
Once you set your intention utilize S.M.A.R.T. goals to develop a full plan for your mental wellness intention. S.M.A.R.T. goals are a structure system that works to increase setting and completing goals. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely and can be used to help guide intention achievement through goal setting. Feel free to use this SMART Goals sheet to assist you in the process. Because intentions are broad and for bigger ideas of change, goals set to make your intentions a reality will likely need to be broken into smaller, attainable goals. For this reason I recommend using this weekly plan sheet to stay focused on your intention and the goals toward that intention. This way you can do so on a weekly basis, assessing and monitoring your progress along the way.
Be open to mental wellness resources such as books, professional assistance and other wellness tools to assist you in your journey toward setting, achieving and maintaining your intention. There’s no sense in re-inventing the wheel when there are lots of resources already created to help you work on your wellbeing and success with your intention. Books such as The Couch Experience: A Guide to Good Therapy will help you with all of the ends and outs to finding a good therapist and having a wonderful therapeutic experience. And a good therapist can be one of the most important relationships you have and one of the best things you do for yourself and your mental health. There is also a wealth of other wellness tools to support your intention and increase or maintain your mental health. These include, apps, card decks, supplements, games and more. While working on your mental wellbeing is an important, serious task and it can sometimes be hard work, it ought not to be boring. Have fun with it when and where you can along the journeyl by utilizing various resources available to you.
As you set your intention to focus and work more on your mental health and wellbeing, be sure to pat your back along the way. It may be easy to overlook or dismiss this suggestion but please don’t. Reward Yourself! As you make strides toward your intention and complete steps you set toward it, reward yourself with small rewards along the way, every week (ex. relaxation time, read a good book,
etc). When you consistently work at your intention or at the end of the year, reward yourself with something bigger (ex., a weekend getaway, etc.)
Lastly, reflect on the process. Take some time to think about the pros and cons
of sticking to your mental health intention and the subsequent goal(s) you set to
make your intention a reality. Learn what you did well and what you can improve
upon. Ask yourself the following:
What did I do well?
What did I learn from the process?
What can I improve upon?
Reflect on the process often, every quarter, every 6 months at the beginning, middle and end of the year, etc. No matter which reflection schedule works best for you, be sure to reflect on the process to make any changes or improvements as needed along the way and at the end of the process to help you reflect on the overall process and how far you’ve come.
This is not a perfect process. However, with mindful, consistent attention given to your intentions and actively taking steps toward them, you will succeed!