Get up off your buttocks and do it!
There are the ups and downs of living with Chronic Illness. Each day is unpredictable. Our first and most important goal is to get better! Start with small goals such as “Today I am going to have a shower” Starting small is important so you are not ‘setting yourself up for failure! Over time you will see your progress achieving your little goals, which will motivate you to go out and achieve those bigger goals you thought you’d get to strive for. Over time, goal setting gets easier, once you know what you’re capable of and the pride of achieving your goals, you will feel like you and can take over the world!
Setting goals is an opportunity for self-growth, realising how far you can go despite your illnesses. You are challenging yourself to go that little bit further. It is important to start small. You and others will see how courageous and strong you are, giving you a confidence boost.
After suffering a stroke, I had to adjust to make small goals such as getting some movement in my arm and my affected leg. The fatigue was unbearable! For about 6 months after I could only be awake at least, ½ an hour- 40 minutes. My goal for those 6 months was to rest my brain, from the trauma of having a blood clot. Think about when a baby is born, they need to train their brain pathways and neuron connections for the rest of their life, so they have to sleep while the brain is developing. This is an example of what the brain has to do all over again after a stroke, reprogramming the brain of new connections, like learning how to walk again and getting movement in the affected side. I also had to learn how to eat and swallow all over again, I was fed with mashed up food gradually increasing to eating regular food
.Setting Goals will:
1. Give you direction
Ask yourself, What do I want to achieve by the end of this week? 3 months? 6 months? 1 year? Once you’ve achieved the goal, there will be another, and another, that will eventually lead you to that ‘ life-changing moment you have desired for!
Energised
The cause, reason, or purpose for why you want to set your goal. Do you feel motivated to achieve this goal? Ask yourself “Is it beneficial to your health, body, and soul? Sharing your goals helps you to be motivated and energised. Ask for help, if you need some support. (It is a strength, not a weakness to ask for help). Your support network will help you to stay energised and accountable to your goals.
2. Provide challenges
We already have our daily challenges, with chronic Illness. but why not challenge ourselves more? If you give yourself a (reachable) timeline it can keep you in the right direction and energised to complete the goal. Sharing your goal also helps your support to keep you accountable, asking questions like “What have you done to make this goal happen?” Break down your goal, ask “Do you need help?”
3. Makes you think outside the box
“How do I set achievable goals, despite chronic illness, and the steps I need to take?”
Think about where you are, in your journey, is this goal reachable in the time frame you’ve given yourself?
Why is achieving this goal important?
What is the story behind the goal? What are the steps in your journey you need to take?
Visualise yourself reaching that goal, Imagery helps to bring the goal to life and this will help you stay energised, motivated, and a feeling of accomplishment once the goal has been reached.
3. Make it happen
Get up off your buttocks and complete 1- 3 steps to make the goal happen!
If you need to, you may have to break your goal down, to steps.
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4.Celebrate
Feel good about yourself! You deserve it! You completed your goal
