If you want to start looking after your mental wellbeing by introducing positive new habits or activities into your routine, it’s worth putting some time into thinking about what your goals will be before you start making changes.
Setting SMART goals can help you build habits that you can easily maintain and allow you to get the positive feedback that will make you feel good about your new lifestyle and more likely to keep up your new activities.
What are SMART goals?
SMART goals is a system of goal setting that helps you create goals that are reasonable, maintainable and meaningful to you. This means you’re more likely to keep working towards them and achieve the outcomes you want.
SMART stands for:
- Specific – a goal should be specific in nature so you know exactly what you are going to do, for example “put one gratitude note in my gratitude jar every day” rather than “be more grateful.”
- Measurable – make sure you can track and measure your goal, so you can tell when you’ve been successful and are more likely to notice the positive effects.
“Go for bushwalks” isn’t really a measurable target; one bushwalk or 30 bushwalks could each be counted as success. “Go for a twenty-minute walk in nature twice a week, for the rest of the year” is a measurable goal, and you’ll be able to tell when you have or haven’t ticked this item off your list. - Achievable – goals that aren’t achievable can set you back, because they reinforce the idea that the activity was too hard or that you have trouble starting new things or changing your habits. Being realistic about what’s possible and then doing your new habit consistently will set you up for success.
When setting your goal, consider what obstacles could get in your way and how you would navigate them. If you don’t have a lot of spare time, starting a new hourly meditation practice might not fit into your schedule, but staying in bed for five minutes each morning and listening to a guided meditation could be just the thing.
- Relevant – the goal should matter to you and what you’re hoping to achieve. This makes the goal meaningful.
While it might seem to you like everyone else is journalling as a mindfulness practice, if that doesn’t appeal to you, you’re unlikely to keep up the habit. If you’re looking for a way to reflect and know you thrive in conversation with others, you could start a habit of asking those in your household what the best part of their day was and if they learned anything new, taking the time to answer the questions yourself, too. - Time-bound – starting a new habit and expecting yourself to do it forever can feel like a big task! Break that mountain down into a molehill and set a deadline for when you’ll reflect on how you’ve gone.
Setting a check-in date is an important way of giving yourself positive feedback for changes you’ve made and making adjustments if your goal hasn’t been achievable, as well as giving yourself a cut off to actually do the thing you set out to do.
Ready to try creating your own goals for looking after your mental wellbeing? Dive into our list of wellbeing boosters and set your own SMART goal for the week, month or rest of the year.
Setting SMART goals can help you make more time for the things you want to do, like get out in nature or garden more.
Why you should set SMART goals for mental wellbeing
Just like we all have physical health, everyone has mental health. Everyone can benefit from proactively looking after their mental wellbeing, whether you’re already feeling on top of the world or if you’ve been having a rough time. Looking after your mental wellbeing can lift your mood, lead to greater resilience in tough times and help you get more out of life.
Don’t struggle alone
Sometimes, even if you’ve been looking after yourself, you might experience poor mental health or a mental health condition. In fact, 1 in 5 Australian adults will experience a mental health condition each year, and 45% will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime.
If you’ve been feeling unwell – whether that is stressed, anxious, down, flat, angry, scared or just not like yourself – for two weeks or more, it’s time to seek help. Talk to someone you trust and make an appointment with your GP or a mental health professional. You can also call the services below to talk to someone straight away.
Lifeline (13 11 44)
BeyondBlue (1300 22 4636)
1300 MH CALL (1300 642 255)
Head to Health (1800 595 212)
If you ever think the situation is an emergency or someone’s safety or life is at risk, call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance or go to your nearest Emergency Department.