It's important when dealing with anxiety and depression to set goals for yourself. They can be big or small, but they have to be there. The reason why goals are so important are because they give us something to strive for, they give us motivation, and they give us a sense of satisfaction when they are reached. Think of the last time you made a goal and reached it. Did you feel happy? Were you proud of yourself? Did you have a sense of accomplishment? These are all wonderful things to feel and will give you a push in a positive direction. They will also give you something else to focus on in those times of despair.
There are 2 important things to remember when setting goals. First, they have to be important to you. If they aren't then you won't do them. Second, they have to be realistic or else you'll never reach them. The dangerous things if you don't follow these 2 simple rules are that you can worsen the situation. If something is not high on your importance list you will make excuses or just simply not do it, which can cause you to feel like you failed and make depression worse.When the goal is not within your ability or realistically achievable you can become too overwhelmed and can cause high anxiety.
For awhile my goal was to get control of my anxiety and depression. My first step in this whole process was to first figure out if this was an obtainable goal, which I very quickly knew it was. Next, in order to reach this goal I knew there were things I needed to do first. I knew I didn't have a lot of information on this subject, so I first set out to find some. I did some internet research, but my biggest source of information was having multiple talks with my childhood friend and neighbor who is a psychiatrist at UCLA Hospital. After getting a bunch of facts, I went and got a self-help book for anxiety that had even more data and exercises. At the same time as doing this I started to take steps in making changes in my life and lifestyle. I started exercising, changed my eating habits, spent more time with my family, went to church more, wrote in a journal, hung out around positive people in positive environments, and completely stopped the occasional drinking of alcohol. The final step was seeking help and going to a therapist. Even with all these steps I am definitely not at my goal yet of having complete control of my anxiety and depression, but I am getting closer. I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now; it's small, but it is there for the first time in a few years.
So now, I want to create a new goal. After a lot of thought I decided I want to run a 5K race in my city in November. This is something I NEVER thought I would set as a goal, but that is an achievement in itself. Today I took the first step for the 5K race. I wanted to see how long I could run before I got tired. Now before I tell you how long that was remember that I have a heart condition, I have not done consistent physical activity since I was about 15 years-old, and even though I go to the gym I mostly do weights and I WALK on a treadmill.......... I was able to run for 2 minutes. That may seem terrible to some people, but this gives me a starting off point. From here I can lay out a realistic plan and multiple steps to my ultimate goal. In the process, the mini goals and successes I make will keep my motivated. That's another thing to remember when setting a goal; give yourself mini goals so you can feel good about your mini successes.
Now, I told you my new goal of running a 5K, what's your new goal?
Day 24- Thing I Love to Do......Pet my nieces dog, Columbus.
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