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Examining your responses.
Let’s look more closely at those impatient responses. Many people when they come for help will say:
I want to get better,
I just want to be alright,
I just want to be my old self again,
I want to live a normal life,
I just want to be happy.
This is all perfectly understandable, but recovery doesn’t come from aiming at this sort of goal. Remember, goals have to be SMART.
I want to get better – this is too vague. Your goal must be Specific.
I just want to be alright – can you define ‘alright’? ‘Alright’ isn’t Measurable.
I just want to be my old self again – this is not Achievable, because every experience changes you, and so you will always be a different person from the one who fell into the black hole of Anxiety.
I want to live a normal life – is this truly Relevant? Wouldn’t it be better to live the life that’s right for you?
I just want to be happy – achieving happiness isn’t Timeable. It can happen in an instant, or it can take years.
Instead you need to look for concrete, specific goals such as:
I want to get back to work,
I want to have a relationship,
I want to travel abroad,
I want to go back to college.
Use your notebook to write down specific long-term goals for you. Don’t let yourself become upset at the thought of how far off they seem. Instead, use the goals as your motivator. One day you will achieve them.
