Set Goals with Self-Compassion to Experience Real Change

Some of us have had experiences in our lives that took away from our ability to be kind, compassionate and forgiving towards ourselves. If that's you, you might be struggling with the outcomes from that in your daily life. Aside from the typical traps we try to avoid when setting goals (think: unattainable or unrealistic), you may be overlooking some key underlying needs as you goal set and monitor progress. And yet, it is likely no surprise to you to know that people learn and grow best when their emotional health and needs are factored in.

Asking yourself why a particular goal is important to you and how it lines up with your mental well-being is a great place to start in setting goals with compassion. Setting goals with compassion in mind is at its' core being kind to yourself and providing yourself with the encouragement you need to actually achieve these goals. Do you want to prove others wrong, or make a change because it's unfair to yourself to continue living in this way? Are you battling fear, inadequacy, or attentional difficulties along the way? When you find your reasoning and can be honest about your personal struggles, you can work at the right skills and processes to reflect mental and emotional health making it more likely that you will meet the goals truly significant to you.

Is your plan gradual or abrupt and/or cold-turkey? Does this goal or plan leave room for lapses in progress? Could you respond to those lapses with acceptance, or a mindset to try again or adjust your expectations? Ultimately, cultivating compassion towards yourself and the reasoning behind your goals can lead you to a more reasonable and palatable plan of action.

I hope that the information is encouraging to you as you consider your goals and how you relate to yourself along the way. If additional help is needed, it's my privilege to connect you with further resources. Receive support equipping you with skills responsive to difficulties like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and general difficulties in thought and emotion to encourage healing and change, while meeting underlying needs like self-compassion to replace what may limit, burden or hold you back.