The holidays are over and the New Year is upon us. For many, this can be a time for reflection and goal setting, but for those coping with depression, it may feel like an impossible task to set goals and make positive changes. However, with small steps, you can make life improvements despite your depression. Let’s explore how small steps such as setting goals and making small changes can help you cope with depression in the New Year.
Setting Goals When Dealing With Depression
When you’re coping with depression, it may seem impossible to make any significant life improvements or even set achievable short-term goals. As daunting as this process may seem, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you break down your goals into smaller tasks that are more manageable. Start off by writing down one achievable goal for each day or week that you know you can complete without feeling overwhelmed. These goals don’t have to be anything overly ambitious; they can simply involve doing something like taking a walk outside or cooking a meal for yourself once a week. The key here is to focus on setting achievable objectives that help improve your wellbeing without adding too much pressure on yourself.
Making Small Changes
Depression can also cause us to become overwhelmed by the thought of making big changes in our lives, so instead focus on making small changes that build up over time. Smaller adjustments such as changing your inner monologue to be more positive and loving towards yourself (as if you were speaking to a beloved pet) or scheduling one day out of the week specifically for self-care activities are great things to start with when managing depression. When we take these little steps, we gain confidence in ourselves which then gives us the motivation to tackle bigger life improvements down the road.
Living with depression can be draining and exhausting but everyone coping with depression wants some sort of improvement in their life no matter how small it may be. By setting achievable goals and focusing on making gradual lifestyle changes rather than drastic ones, we can slowly start seeing progress in our mental health journey despite our depression symptoms. So remember – start small! Give yourself permission to take things one step at a time on your path towards better self-care and overall wellbeing this year!
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