What are you looking forward to in the New Year? Have you made any resolutions or goals for 2023? In addition to professional and financial goals, we also need to have personal and social goals. They help us protect our mental health and sanity. On the occasion of this New Year, let us talk about how we can use these goals in a healthy and positive manner.
Mental health experts or psychologists say that having goals is good for our mental health. Let us find out how.
First and foremost, goals come with the hope of their achievement. That is, the joy we get from the achievement of the goal beckons us. The reward centre in our brain is responsible for this. Upon achieving a goal or reaching a certain milestone, our brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine. This makes us feel good, it gives us joy. Our mind registers the feel-good experience and wishes to experience it again and again, and we work towards the same. Again, we achieve another goal. This cycle of positivity goes on.
With the hope of this positivity, we get renewed energy to accomplish that work and to tread the path towards the goal achievement. Our mind gets the necessary zeal and the whole journey accelerates.
Similarly, thanks to this positive mental state and energy, we get drawn towards progressing on the same path. Naturally, the less significant and negative things get side tracked. And the negative emotions get wiped out from our minds.
Another advantage of having such goals is that our mind continues to be active in a creative manner. Just the way our body weakens if we don’t work or move around much, the same happens to our mind. Any body part that is not used eventually renders useless, or it even reduces in size. This is human tendency. Similarly, our mental capacity can also decrease if it is not used. In several research studies, MRI scans have proved the reduction in the size of the brain in case of reduced use. As opposed to this, if we keep our mind active, the capacity of the mind and the brain to work remains unaffected. Goals help us maintain this consistency.
The most difficult advantage of having goals is the professional, financial or personal growth we get from it, e.g. having the goal of owing a house helps us earn a fixed asset, or exercising every day with the objective of losing weight results in good health in the long run.
However, unfortunately, we get to see a lot of misunderstandings and differences of opinion when it comes to goals. Sometimes, people even think that “having goals makes us live a mechanical life” or “having goals means running after materialistic things, and greediness, which is the exact opposite of what spirituality teaches us”. At the same time, we even see some having extreme views that “one must have goals in every aspect and at every step of our life, and we must achieve them. Otherwise, we simply cannot progress, and we don’t have any value as an individual.” Then what exactly is right for us? What do we benefit from and how can we find the answer? For this, we will first have to ensure that the nature of the goal is as healthy as possible.
When setting a goal, one must understand its different aspects.
Goals must be specific. Rather than thinking generally that I would like to lose weight, putting a number to it would be more specific. Such goals are more useful and easier to achieve. Also, the clarity that our brain has from specific goals takes us closer to achieving them.
Secondly, goals must be realistic.
One of the reasons why new year resolutions fail is that the goal is not set keeping in mind oneself and the present situation. Setting a big goal for a relatively small period is like inviting failure, for instance, aiming to lose 15 kilos in 2 months, reading a book in a day, aiming for a promotion within a
year, etc. In the given situation, goals to achieve a radical change are impractical. And so, their chances of being achieved are far less. Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Similarly, it would always work better if smaller goals are set. Once the first one is achieved, the second one should be set, then the third one, and so on. This is how big goals should be achieved. Another advantage of having multiple smaller goals is that our strength of spirit, motivation and positivity stay high. To reach the upper floor, would it be better for us to take smaller steps or directly a big 10-12 feet high jump? Same is the case with goals. In an attempt to take a big jump, the chances of us falling and getting hurt are high. Extrapolate it to our scenario, and you will realise that big goals kill our spirit, lower our confidence and become a cause of hopelessness.
Thirdly, goals should come with deadlines. Having deadlines ensures that there is constant effort to achieve the goals. Our mind stays focussed and concentrated. At the same time, having a set timeline helps us make effective use of our capabilities. We often get caught in a comfort zone, which stunts our growth. It is a risky position to be in. Goals that force us to step out of our comfort zone (this does not mean unreal) help us progress.
The fourth and a very important aspect of healthy goals is their flexibility. It is important to understand that failure to achieve our goals does not make us eligible for criticism, feeling of guilt or punishment. We can extend our deadlines. Also, we sometimes realise after some period has lapsed that our goals are not as important or they have become irrelevant. Sometimes, some new information points to errors in our thinking. In such situations, it is advisable to modify our goals or even cancel them entirely. To give an example, I set a goal today to appear for and pass a certain bank examination. But a few months down the line, I realise that I am no longer interested in working in a bank, or I get a better opportunity related to some other skill set of mine. It would make sense for me to alter my goal accordingly. Another example of flexibility in a goal would be: I aim to clear CA exams in one attempt, but realise eventually that I will not be able to complete studies in the given time. I would then focus on clearing one group in the first attempt and the second one in the next one, or vice versa. This flexibility would be very helpful when it comes to losing weight. Flexibility allows us to stay more positive about our goals. If we set goals keeping in mind these aspects, the entire process or journey of achieving our goals can become a healthy and positive experience for us.
In the next part, we will see which dimensions of our mind can help us in achieving our goals.
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