Setting and sticking to wellness goals can be complicated. We’re told to keep our goals simple, working on just one health objective at a time. But improving your health requires a holistic approach, one that considers all facets of your health—physical, emotional, spiritual, and social. Choose health goals that help you bridge the connection between these various parts of your life and keep everything in balance. For example, setting professional goals is just as important as setting fitness goals! Here are some tips from Spirit Self Health to help you set holistic goals and create an action plan to achieve them.
Don’t Overlook Career Goals
Many people overlook the importance of intellectual, financial, and social wellness. Your career plays an important role in all three of these. Perhaps unsurprisingly, your job also affects your physical, emotional, and mental health. As a result, pursuing your professional goals is essential to your overall well-being!
It’s never too late to make a career change or land a new position in your current industry. Often, the first step involves going back to school to advance your education. For example, enrolling in an education degree program will help you earn the credentials you need to become a teacher. Consider enrolling in an online degree program so you can continue working while attending school. Take a look at this online education bachelor’s degree program to see if it’s the right fit for you!
Be Realistic
Setting unrealistic goals is one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to improve their health. Goals that are vague or overly ambitious can be impossible to achieve. For example, if you want to lose weight, you’ll never know when you’ve reached your goal. If you want to lose 30 pounds in one month, you’re going to fail. Set goals that are specific, measurable, and realistic within a given time frame. These are also known as SMART goals!
Create a Strategic Wellness Plan
It’s not enough just to set good goals. You also need to plan exactly how you’re going to accomplish them. Keep it simple and attainable. Schedule your plan into your daily calendar and block out time to work on each goal, whether it’s walking every evening after dinner or spending your mornings studying for a new degree. When creating your strategic plan, try to plan for anticipated obstacles and figure out how you’re going to overcome them. For example, LivingHealthWorks.com suggests finding a supportive community of like-minded people who can help you stay on track when your motivation falters.
Measure Your Progress Over Time
Tracking the progress, you’re making toward your goals is a great way to stay motivated. Since most wellness habits produce results slowly over time, it can be hard to see results unless you’re keeping records. There are many ways to track progress depending on your specific health goals. For example, you could keep a journal with mental health logs, use a fitness tracker, snap workout progress pictures, pay attention to how your clothes fit or take blood pressure measurements.
Adopt a Healthy Mindset
In the end, achieving your health goals is all about mindset. A good mindset will help you overcome challenges, maintain your motivation, and feel satisfied with your progress. Maintaining a healthy mindset takes practice. This can be seen as a holistic wellness goal in itself! Get in the habit of acknowledging negative thoughts and interrupting them, telling yourself positive affirmations, and keeping a positive thinking journal where you jot down statements, thoughts, or feelings that make you feel good. Building an awareness of your feelings is the first step toward inner peace!
Working toward your wellness goals doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle. Whether you want to reach new heights in your career, get stronger, or gain greater control over your emotions, achieving holistic wellness objectives is a matter of setting realistic goals and creating a strategic action plan. Get started on your wellness goals today!
Authored by Melissa Howard
For more health information like this, check out the Spirit Self Health website! We offer strategies and tips for staying on top of your health despite daily obstacles and challenges.