We often think of goal setting as a process that you can use to help you achieve the things you want in life.
And ‘want’ is really the keyword here.
This speaks to things that you desire, or things that you really wish you had.
However, we don’t often think of goal setting as it pertains to the health and wellness portion of the conversation.
See, when it comes to health and wellness, there are simply some things that we need.
For example, we need to:
- Eat food
- Drink water
- Establish access to some kind of shelter that will protect us from predators and the elements
There’s also a strong case to be made for the fact that we need a heat source (at the very least, fire).
But does goal setting fit into this ‘need’ category?
Or, is it just something extra to add to our lives if we desire more than the basic necessities?
Well, as it turns out, there are actually some pretty potent health and wellness benefits to be found in the process of goal setting.
And in this post, you’re going to learn about three of them.
1. Goal Setting Can Help With Anxiety
Now, don’t get it twisted.
You’re probably not going to be able to cure every case of diagnosed anxiety with a goal-setting regimen.
However, it is true that anxiety is pretty much characterized by a fear of things that we can’t control.
But one of the great things about goal setting is that it actually gives you control over many different parts of your life.
Therefore, to a certain extent, you may be able to help your anxiety by setting some goals and taking more control over your own life and existence.
2. Goal Setting Can Help Treat Depression
Once again, it’s important to understand that not all depression is going to be able to be cured or even helped with goal setting.
In fact, setting the wrong types of goals (i.e. negative goals) might actually make depression worse in some cases.
However, when implemented properly, it’s also true that goal setting may be able to help people who have depression to find a way to make progress in parts of their lives where they want to implement positive changes.
Therapists often use some form of goal setting to help people with depression who want to make progress in the things that matter to them.
Who knows… it may be worth a try!
3. Goal Setting Keeps Us From Wasting Time
When you set meaningful goals to create an intentional path in life, you are basically creating a plan that will help you to use your time and resources more efficiently.
If you’ve ever felt like getting down on yourself for wasting time with needless distractions, then you know that wasting time isn’t always good for your mental or emotional health or well-being.
Sometimes, the best way to feel good about yourself in your life is to make progress on the things that actually matter to you.
And goal-setting can directly help to facilitate this.
Conclusion
Obviously, goal setting isn’t a silver bullet for treating mental illness, or for helping you to feel better when you’re feeling down.
It’s just one of many possible tools that could help to make a difference in the right setting and circumstances.
Is it worth the try? We believe that it just might be.