I tend to get extra sweary when it comes to goals because language is powerful, and the more we shock ourselves with language, the more what we are saying resonates with us. Cussing can actually have a powerful impact on us when we are talking about things that truly matter.
That being said, better fucking mental health in the new year, please! As a mental health writer, I try my best to make my experiences relatable to others in similar situations, but this is a personal post, so glean from it what you will.
Yesterday, I outlined that I had several goals each in the category of mental, physical, and spiritual health. This post is focusing on my mental health goals.
- Use my tools more regularly
- Improve my communication skills (especially when under stress)
- Get a better understanding of my moods
Use my tools more regularly –
I have a therapist like most people who deal with mental illness. I have only been seeing her for about a year. I have been in therapy on and off since I was 13 and seeking treatment for my self-harm addiction. I have done mental health programs and groups. I have a lot of tools. So many, in fact, that I forget half of them exist unless I am reminded of them. My current therapist often says that she does not know how to help because I already have so many tools. I am going to go on an introspective journey and make a list of all the tools that I can think of and categorize them. Then I’m going to see if she can add to my list. The list will help me pick a tool for the problem I am having and it can be saved on my phone so that I can access it any time that I need it. Getting back to using my tools will help me cope with life better than I have been lately. To make this a SMART goal, I would phrase it, “I will create a list of my mental health tools and use at least one every day that they are needed for the next year.”
Improve my communication skills –
I have great communication skills as it is… right up until the moment that I am under stress. I shut down. Anger, sadness, overwhelm, anxiety, general stress. They all shut my communication off, and if I do say something, it is not a great reflection of how I truly feel. This only applies to my personal relationships. I do not get locked up like that in work or school situations where stress is part of the package. I do get like that when professionalism is not expected and people that I choose to have in my life are making it harder instead of easier. I need to relearn how to communicate when I am feeling chaos inside instead of withdrawing from my relationships or even snapping at people. On the other hand, all of that isolation is great for my ability to write, so I will need to find a balance that maintains that. To make this a SMART goal, I would phrase it, “I will improve my communication skills by learning more communication tools and make improvements in communicating with loved ones even when under stress over the next year.”
Get a better understanding of my moods –
I actually got a mood tracking planner as a birthday gift this year (November) that I started using yesterday. I hope that it helps gives me insights that I can use to start understanding my moods and how they affect me throughout the day. I plan on using the data with my therapist to help me try and get some emotional stability, if not every day, more often than I do now. To make this a SMART goal, I would phrase it, “I will get a better understanding of my moods by using my mood tracking tool twice a day for the next year, analyzing the data regularly, and asking for help when they seem to be getting out of control.”
This is an exercise that I do every year, and I try not to focus too much on goals that may not be realistic. Life does happen. In 2019, I had a severe hiking accident where I fell 35 feet, and I lost my job because I could not do it with a concussion. This year, 2021, I broke my knee because of an accident in the shower, and lost my job because I needed surgery and had a six-month recovery window. Financial security is something I am used to living without, so my goals are almost never financial. I know my mental health is up and down, so they are very rarely goals that I could not accomplish if my mood suddenly shifted.
Tell me what your goals are in the new year if you feel so inclined!
— Justine
