Setting goals and targets when having depression
Two of the
most devastating aspects of depression are the loss of motivation and the
despair. It takes energy and drive even to think of identifying goals and
setting targets to achieve them when you are feeling depressed. However,
as soon as you feel able, this step is a necessary part of recovery and
an essential element of living with the hazard of recurrent depression.
Buy a diary or an exercise book and note your ambitions in the three
areas of your life. No matter how far fetched something seems, write it
down. You can consider later whether your choices are realistic. Each
time you add something to the book, date it.
All ambitions and achievements are made up of small but significant
steps. To take the first step, you need to identify your ambitions. Then
you need to identify the steps required to bring you closer to your
ambition. Let's say you want to learn to play the piano. You will need a
piano, music books and a teacher. The cheapest way to go about this is to
contact your local adult education institute and enroll for a suitable
course. Another way would be to find a private teacher. You can find one
through local advertisements, the Yellow Pages or by word of mouth. You
can use the same sorts of methods for finding out about any activity.
As another example, let's say that you wish to lose weight. There are two
rules: eat smaller amounts of less fattening foods and exercise more.
Being realistic when setting goals
It is important that your ambitions are realistic. A 40-year-old woman is
unlikely to become a supermodel and a 40-year-old man even less likely to
become a football star. It is also important to remember that depression
is a normal response to a sad life event. What is crucial is the
severity, duration, degree of disablement and to what extent your
behavior is affected: it is when depression is severe, lengthy and
prevents you from fully functioning that you need treatment.
Setting
achievable goals
When you have
decided on a realistic goal, break it down into a series of smaller goals
to be achieved in stages.
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Whether you
want to paint a room or write a novel, start with a plan.
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Divide the
task into smaller steps - doors, ceiling, walls and windows or pages and
chapters.
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Reward
yourself as each step is accomplished.
Looking
back at your goals
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Do you feel
that you have a good balance of work and pleasure in your life? What do
you wish to achieve in your work life? Where do you see yourself in five
years' time?
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What do you
wish to achieve emotionally, spiritually and materially for your family
and home?
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What are the
activities on which you would like to spend time? For example, reading,
singing, going to the cinema, picture framing, dance, your favorite
sport, walking.
Key Facts:
Check your diary or notebook every few days to make sure that you are on
target for realizing your ambitions. On occasions when you feel really
awful, don't get up. Staying in bed now and again will do you good. You
can realize many of your ambitions. Take the first steps now. Achieving
any step towards realizing your ambitions, however small, is another step
towards recovery.
