“Setting yourself a goal can often be daunting, but taking small steps towards a bigger achievement is good for the soul,” says Rebecca Hanmer, author of “Challenge accepted” for Wellness Journal magazine. Hanmer talks about how she set a challenging goal for herself to swim the distance of the English Channel. This was the right challenge for her she said, and that’s what’s most important when it comes to accomplishing a goal. When setting a goal for yourself it should be challenging but attainable. It should be something that means something to you, goals are subjective and personal things. Don’t compare yourself or your challenges to someone else, different people are on different journeys. Your journey to recovery has opened up the possibility of self-discovery.
The Goal of Self-Actualization
Kimberly Wilson, a psychologist and podcast host, says “Our survival as a species is based upon our ability to adapt. Setting challenges and testing limits is part of this — we’re driven to self-actualize, which means reach our full potential.” Setting goals that challenge you to push further helps to aid you in becoming the best person you can be. Of course, we want to do this without danger says Hanmer. “A challenge puts us in contact with parts of ourselves that we wouldn’t otherwise see,” says Wilson. “It’s difficult to know how we’ll manage in extraordinary circumstances. A challenge can be a safe way to test these capacities. A manageable amount of stress or pressure can make you psychologically stronger and more able to deal with difficult circumstances in the future.”
Go For Your Goals
Maybe prior to getting into recovery you had many hopes and aspirations, but there was never an opportunity to being to make them a reality. This may have been because survival had to come first. Making sure that our basic needs are met is a necessity. If we don’t have adequate food, water, and shelter, we can’t move onto building relationships and striving for bigger things. Once you have met these basic needs, you’re able to set goals and achieve great things. Recovery has opened space to become who you were truly meant to be. These goals don’t have to be monumental, says Wilson. “Any challenge is completely personal and context-dependent.” We all have different abilities and things we need, says Hanmer. “It’s about stepping out of our own comfort zone.” Disregard what others are accomplishing. Comparison is the thief of joy. On the flip side, you want to make sure that you are setting goals that you can reach. “Occasionally we set challenges that are out of our reach and end up disappointed.” Try not to focus on proving something to yourself or someone else. That’s not the goal of setting challenges. Make sure you are also defining success in a way that makes sense to you and is relevant to your goals. This means that success looks different for everybody, and that’s okay. It took strength and courage to overcome substance use disorder, your life of recovery is proof that with the right mentality you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.
Arbor Behavioral Healthcare is here to help you set challenging yet attainable goals for yourself in your recovery. Call us today at 844-413-2690. We can’t wait to speak with you today!