I started my healing journey by setting intentions instead of goals.

But you may ask, what’s the difference?

In my perspective, intention is about being purposeful whereas goal is about achieving a desired outcome. Example: To lose weight (this is an intention) vs To lose 10kg in 3 months time (this is a goal).

Why didn’t I start my healing journey by setting goals?

The answer lies in how setting intentions and setting goals make me feel on my recovery journey.

For me, an effective goal setting is a follow through on a S.M.A.R.T goal. S.M.A.R.T refers to specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. So simply put, at that time setting goals felt like too much of an obligation and that resulted in unnecessary stress for me (& stress is not good for recovery). On the other hand, setting intentions helped me focus on changing my mindset and choices, and it feels like an invitation to explore possibilities.

When I received my diagnosis, I was still in a mentally unstable space and was easily triggered by many things. At first, I tried to set a goal to take a 10-15 minute walk in nature every day. It was simple, isn’t it? But there were days or even weeks where I was just struggling to get by my daily routine and I felt disappointment when I looked back at the number of walks I had missed; leading to negative self talk and self belief. That’s when I realised that unnecessary stress was building. As mentioned, stress is not good for recovery. Hence, it dawned upon me that setting goals would not have worked for me at that point of time but I still needed an anchor to progress. That’s why setting intentions was the way to move forward for me.

My first intention after diagnosis to improve the state of my mental health. So everyday I start to look for things which I can do within my control that serve the intention I’ve set. The possibilities were endless.

From reading an inspirational quote, listening to music, taking a walk in the park connector network to indulging in dark chocolate ice cream, I do what I can regardless what it is or how small it is without fail. There are no time nor activity restrictions. There is only the intention to improve my mental health every single day.

Just like that, I progressed one step at a time to a point where I am no longer dependent on anti-psychotic medication now.

Can you relate to the beginning days of my recovery journey? Are you also struggling from the stress of setting goals for your healing journey? How about trying to set intention instead? If goal setting is working out well for you, please continue! If you’re opened to it, let share with us what’s working for you in the comment section below!