The main difference between depression and garden-variety sadness is that depression makes it difficult for people to function at their usual level. It’s a major diagnostic indicator for mental health professionals– if something is negatively affecting a person’s daily life, it’s crossing over the line into being a disorder. For this reason, depression can make it hard for some people to even get out of bed in the morning because they’re so numb, sad, and exhausted. Actually achieving the goals you want for yourself when you’re struggling with depression can be a terrifying task.
However, just because it’s challenging doesn’t mean it’s impossible! When you’re setting goals for yourself while managing your depression, it’s important to take a modified approach that will allow you to make progress while avoiding discouragement. Here are some things you can do to make your goals more achievable.
Go as Small as You Need To
A lot of us have it wired into our heads that goals need to be grand, sweeping aspirations, like “I’m going to get in shape” or “I’m going to get a big promotion.” However, when you have depression, goals like these are not only unhelpful, they can become hurtful. Depression makes you feel worthless, and when you fall short of goals that are difficult to attain even for someone without a mental health issue, you only end up feeling worse about yourself.
The solution? Go small– like really small. You’re just trying to give yourself something that’s easy to accomplish and check off your to-do list, because at the end of the day, even if it’s filled with small goals, that completed list is going to give you a hit of self-confidence and feel good chemicals that are vitally important! As you go on, you can start to consider bigger goals, but when you’re just starting out, even putting something that you know you already do every day, like “brush teeth” or “watch the news” is a good goal to set.
Get Specific
Let’s go back to that major goal “get a promotion.” Think about it for a second. What is there in that goal that’s actionable– something that you can get up and actually go do? The problem with this goal is that it’s not specific. It lacks a clear course of action that you can take to achieve it, and that’s what makes it so unreachable.
Instead, when you set your goals, try to choose your wording very carefully based around things that you can do. Instead of saying you want to get a promotion, say that you want to improve your turnover times on your projects at work so you have something good to bring up at your yearly review. This gives you a much clearer picture of what you need to do!
Pace Yourself
When you’re fighting against depression to achieve your goals, slow and steady really is the way to win the race. If you’re trying to accomplish things in a mad dash of effort, you’re going to end up burnt out and disappointed. Depression directly affects your motivation and your energy levels, so take that into account and break your goal down into small steps that you can take one at a time. Try to be realistic about your timing and what you think you’ll be able to achieve at each step. It will help you to feel less discouraged!
Share with Others
A lot of the time, having other people involved in a goal you’re setting for yourself can make a big difference in your levels of motivation. Even if you’re not counting on that person to keep you on track or hold you accountable, sharing your milestones and celebrating successes with people in your support network can help you to feel more ready to keep working. You’ll want to enjoy that good feeling of love and connection that comes with sharing a goal again!
Be Kind
Last but certainly not least, the most important thing to do when you’re setting goals during a bout of depression is to be kind to yourself. Sometimes, you’re going to mess up, or miss a milestone, or just not have it in you to carry on towards your goal on certain days. It’s okay! Try to remember that you don’t need to do things perfectly 100% of the time to achieve your goals. In fact, you don’t even need to do them perfectly most of the time. When you slip up or miss a day, don’t let disappointment or negative self-talk convince you that it’s not even worth it to continue anymore. A goal that you accomplish in your own time still gets done– a goal that you give up on never well. Forgive yourself for your mistakes and shortcomings and get back on the horse as soon as you’re ready. You’ll be grateful you did!
Depression can make all different aspects of your life difficult, but treatment for depression can help to alleviate those struggles and make it easier to achieve your goals. You can learn more about depression treatment and participating clinical trials by reading more here!