If you’re in the depths of depression or anxiety – it can be difficult to know where to start in terms of feeling more yourself.
You may be feeling overwhelmed, and that you have too many problems to deal with at once. Goal setting can be effective in recovery and used on an ongoing basis to stay well.
Goal setting is proven to increase motivation, and help you create the changes you want to in your life. You may find yourself stuck. Setting small, attainable goals can support you in relationships, in the workplace or looking for work, study, or completing a task you’ve been putting off due your mental health.
Achieving a realistic goal you’ve set for yourself can boost your serotonin levels, help you to prioritise change, motivate you and give you a vision for the future.
Try using our downloadable goal setting template to get started.
We also run goal setting workshops from time to time. Keep an eye out for future dates.
Mental Health Resources
How the Social Model helped me
My name is Kimberly and I am the founder of SMW.
I want to use this space to tell you a bit about my mental health, and how the social model of disability helped me - because I think it could help you too.
If you don't what the social mode of disability is - I recommend checking out our page here.
I had never heard of the social model until 2015, when I was looking for a new job. I came across a disability rights organisation and they were hiring. They talked about the social model in their job advert, so I looked it up.
I was struck by what I was reading - it just made sense.
The reason I was looking for work in the first place is that I just been dismissed from my job - the same day as I disclosed my mental health illness to them.
So, how did it help?
I got the job - so I guess that was a good start! However, I realised when I joined that I was suddenly surrounded by people who just 'got it'. They understood the social model, but more than that - they listened, believed, and valued disabled people.
It was that year that I realised - I was disabled.
I had never thought of myself that way before. Being disabled was never something I'd considered - even though I had often times felt.
My preconceptions about disability had led me to believe that I would be told I was disabled. Diagnosed as disabled. That someone would help me if I was.
None of those things are true.
Disability is - the experience of barriers to your independence. I had been so unwell, for so long, I was unable to live a 'normal' life.
Once I realised how my preconceptions, and the perceptions others have about disability, had affected the way I talked (or didn't) about my mental health - everything started to become clear.
Once you identify that you are disabled by society, you identify as a disabled person, not only does your understanding of disability change for good - your understanding of you, the issues you've faced and how to solve them becomes so much more clear.
I am not in way suggesting disability on the whole is something to be 'solved' - for some us, there are barriers in society that will never be removed (or at least, it appears that way, we can but hope). You can be temporarily disabled - and have those barriers removed. I've know physically disabled people who didn't identify as disabled because they weren't experiencing any barriers.
The barriers are the disability!
In terms of mental health - stigma is an enormous barrier. It's a barriers that affects almost everyone with a mental health condition. It prevents diagnosis, it prevents people getting help, it causes hate crime - the list goes on.
However, if you can work towards removing this barrier in your own life, you will have already made a huge step towards your recovery.
Are you ready?
If you're ready to think about starting some counselling, you can access that here