Keeping Mentally Healthy: Goal Setting

Goal-setting is something I take very seriously. At the beginning of this year I broke my life into different categories and set a number of different goals. I had goals around MOLAD and how many courses I wanted to run, my physical health and rehab and university and other study. The goal setting process was a formal sit-down gathering with a couple of friends and we followed one of many tutorials available on how to set up positive goals.

On a micro level, most days before I sleep, I rule out all the goals I achieved for the day and I write a new to-do list for the next day and weeks. This does two things for me:

1. It helps me sleep because I'm not ruminating about all of the things I have to do.

2. The next morning when I wake up, I can get straight into it, without having to think too much.

This is something you can do no matter where you are at with your life and health. One day your goal might be to run a marathon, and that might be completely realistic for you at the time. Another day, your goal might be to get out of bed and have a shower, and that is fine too. Setting healthy goals for where we are at is important because it keeps us accountable and gives us a sense of achievement.

Remember, don't worry about not always achieving your goals! We are human and you need to give yourself credit for doing your best.