What are effective strategies for setting realistic self-care goals?
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Self-care is essential for your well-being, especially if you are facing stress, challenges, or changes in your life. However, setting and achieving self-care goals can be difficult, especially if you are not used to prioritizing your own needs. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a skill that can help you overcome barriers and find motivation to pursue your self-care goals. MI is a collaborative, person-centered approach that helps you explore and resolve ambivalence, enhance your confidence, and elicit your own reasons for change. In this article, we will share some effective strategies for setting realistic self-care goals using MI principles and techniques.
One of the first steps to setting realistic self-care goals is to identify your values, or what matters most to you in your life. Values are the guiding principles that motivate and direct your actions, and they can help you clarify your vision and purpose. To identify your values, you can use MI techniques such as open-ended questions, reflective listening, and affirmations. For example, you can ask yourself: "What are some of the things that are important to you in your life?" or "What do you want to achieve or experience in the next year?" Then, you can reflect on your answers and affirm your strengths and preferences. By identifying your values, you can align your self-care goals with your core beliefs and aspirations.
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Mark Mann
Crucial Coaching Conversations, Training & Development, Professional Facilitation, Global, TDY: PV, Mexico
Because I'm a former government guy, I love acronyms :-) Two favs: HALT & LEAD. HALT motivates self care by reminding me to never become too Hungry, too Angry, too Lonely, and or too Tired. LEAD feeds and nurtures the basics in reminding me to Listen like you love listening, Explain with compassion and without fear, Answer the hard questions first, and make the tough Decisions promptly.
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Andrea Lustfield, MA, LAC
Grant Administrator - Mental Health Block Grant at Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System - Division of Grants & Innovation
Identifying one’s values is a concept that is often oversimplified in mainstream media. We speak often of setting goals and the importance of working toward them, but our core beliefs are more than what is “important” to us or what we “achieve.” Our values and core beliefs are what drive us to prioritize what’s important and why we achieve. Identifying one’s values often begins with knowing what we are not by trusting our intuition. Our society emphasizes pinpointing the “what” and “why” when simply acknowledging and trusting our intrinsic discomfort can lead us to our core values. Self care can begin with filtering out the need for definitions and validating our instincts resulting in an organic gravitation toward what we value.
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Another step to setting realistic self-care goals is to assess your readiness, or how willing and able you are to make changes in your behavior. Readiness is influenced by many factors, such as your level of interest, confidence, commitment, and support. To assess your readiness, you can use MI techniques such as scaling questions, decisional balance, and change talk. For example, you can ask yourself: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how ready are you to start a new self-care habit?" or "What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of making this change?" Then, you can explore the reasons behind your rating and the pros and cons of your options. By assessing your readiness, you can identify and overcome any ambivalence or resistance that might hinder your progress.
A third step to setting realistic self-care goals is to set SMART goals, or goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. SMART goals are clear, concrete, and realistic, and they help you track your progress and evaluate your outcomes. To set SMART goals, you can use MI techniques such as summarizing, eliciting, and planning. For example, you can summarize your values and readiness, and then elicit your own goal statement. Then, you can break down your goal into smaller steps and plan how to implement them. By setting SMART goals, you can increase your motivation and accountability for your self-care actions.
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Taiana Melo
Helping Great Companies Unlock the Power Behind Business Relationships
When it comes to setting goals, I'm a big believer in the power of SMART objectives. Dedicating some minutes daily to mindfulness and exercising is a practice I hold dear, as it significantly helps with my focus and build the so needed resilience muscles.
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A fourth step to setting realistic self-care goals is to seek support, or to find people who can help you along your journey. Support can come from various sources, such as family, friends, professionals, or groups. Support can provide you with encouragement, feedback, advice, or resources that can facilitate your self-care efforts. To seek support, you can use MI techniques such as asking, offering, and collaborating. For example, you can ask for help from someone you trust, or offer to help someone else who is working on a similar goal. Then, you can collaborate with them and share your experiences and challenges. By seeking support, you can enhance your social and emotional well-being and cope with any difficulties or setbacks.
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Taiana Melo
Helping Great Companies Unlock the Power Behind Business Relationships
In my journey, I've learned that seeking support is not a sign of weakness but a hallmark of strength. Personally, I value connections and mentorship advice from folks who prioritize self-care. They not only inspire me but also hold me accountable, supporting greater heights of success.
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Ischa Ropert Coach
Professional Coaching & Education Services
Self-care is often positioned as a health topic that involves creating a better lifestyle or work'life balance. However it goes much deeper than that. Self-care is understanding how you value yourself and others, whether you are self-assured or needing recognition and external approval to feel empowered. It asks you to relfect why you do what you do, how you are influenced and what you stand for and what you can let go. It's a commitment to knowing your own authentic nature and not playing to the demands of others and then blaming them or yourself for the impact this has. It is choosing a different career/life path than your family, partner or culture values. It is personal mastery.
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A fifth step to setting realistic self-care goals is to review and adjust, or to monitor and modify your goals as needed. Reviewing and adjusting your goals can help you celebrate your achievements, learn from your mistakes, and adapt to changing circumstances. To review and adjust your goals, you can use MI techniques such as feedback, reflection, and reinforcement. For example, you can collect feedback from yourself or others, and then reflect on what worked and what didn't. Then, you can reinforce your successes and make any necessary changes to your goals or strategies. By reviewing and adjusting your goals, you can maintain your momentum and satisfaction and continue to grow and improve.
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Taiana Melo
Helping Great Companies Unlock the Power Behind Business Relationships
Further elevate your self-care strategy by incorporating mindfulness practices, resilience-building exercises, and personalized wellness plans. These elements reinforce your commitment to holistic well-being, enabling an approach to self-care that transcends conventional boundaries and promotes sustained balance.
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Kara Barker,MHR,CPCU, CLU
Senior Operations Leader at State Farm®| CEO of EmpowHer| Executive Coach| Author of Hallelujahs and Hiccups & Breakthroughs and Bless You’s| Hello MaximizHER Podcast Host | NAAWLI Brand Ambassador & Global Influencer
Fully agree! Making part of one’s routine and intentionally protecting time for self-care activities is key. This can look like putting time in the calendar for self-care or setting standing dates with friends, family members and partners to connect or take time to do something both parties enjoy. While engaging in self-care activities, take steps to limit distractions such as turning on “do not disturb” on devices during times set aside for self-care activities. Here’s a few practical tips: Eat a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, seafood and nuts to improve energy and focus throughout the day. Drink at least 60-62 ounces of water daily, and increase water intake during the summer.
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