When individuals are depressed, goals provide a way to gradually work to come out of a slump. Small goals such as just taking a shower, or going for one walk a day, can help to give a little bit of outline to a day that otherwise seems meaningless. Reaching these small goals helps to build on a sense of accomplishment that encourages the desire to continue those set goals and even strive for new ones.
Anxiety is also a motivator for setting goals and starting small in this arena is also helpful to anyone who suffers from panic attacks, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, or any other ways that anxiety may manifest itself in your life. Setting goals to start off very small, with goals that are easily reachable is key for both depression and anxiety. Start with things so simple that you know you can complete them.
Outside of depression and anxiety (for those who do not suffer from these), goal setting is a great help in facing existential hurdles in life such as finding meaning and purpose, warding off loneliness and boredom, finding new ways to spend one's time after divorce, addiction, abuse, and even trauma.
When setting goals for yourself keep some things in mind: First, be realistic. If you've never mountain climbed before, then setting a goal to summit Mt Everest might be a reach. But if you'd like to take a beginner's class on climbing, then being realistic about your ability, strength, desire, athleticism can help you determine if the goal is indeed realistic and within your reach. If unsure, such a goal could begin with smaller goals such as setting appointments to speak with a climbing teacher, or go observe climbers doing the kind of climbing you may like.
Second, be specific about your goals. A vague goal such as "be more active" might leave you without direction. But a specific goal stating that you want to walk a mile a day, or look for a softball team to join, or maybe you've been thinking about setting up an exercise room in your home and could set preliminary goals to begin studying what that would require. If your goal is to "eat better", that might be too unclear and could hide what the real desired goal could be. So narrowing it down to a very specific goal of what "eating better" will mean. This can help you reach specific goals and higher levels of success.
Third, make sure the goal is your own, not something others have told you to go after. It's important that your goals be your own and are meaningful to you personally. It's also important to resist the urge to try to make the striving and accomplishment too perfectionistic. So be ready to leave wiggle room for altering the goal, changing your mind about how it will proceed, and finding ways to push through whatever stands in the way.
Goal setting helps to break the cycle of withdraw and inactivity and also helps to prevent avoidance behaviors. According to the American Psychological Association, going after life goals can fend of depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. You can find their 2019 article about that here
Goals don't have to be major or expensive. They can be as simple as "eating more vegetables" or as complex as "traveling to New Zealand". If you are suffering from depression, anxiety, boredom or what feels like a meaningless life, consider setting at least one goal. Start with something very simple. Exploring a new park or lake, reading a book you heard about, learning yoga, going fishing, etc. As long as it matters to you, has meaning to your personally, and is realistic and achievable, it's a goal you can aim for.
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Thanks to Melissamade for the great image, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
