Imagine you’re planning a journey and you are looking for directions. Is it possible to get directions to a destination that you do not know yet? If you do not have any goals, how do we know what techniques to use to help you reach your goals? Not having goals is like trying to find directions to a destination when you have not decided where you would like to go.


Question? 
- It may be difficult to change the habit of a lifetime in a few weeks or months. Once you have created your goals, you to start your journey towards recovery. It’s like helping people to get to the right train station and on to the right train. Once the journey has started, it’s up to the individual to practice working through the new techniques learnt.

Let’s look at some examples of SMART goals: 

1. I would like to meet a friend for a drink 3 times a week and spend 30 minutes talking to them. I would like to achieve this within the next 3 months.

2. Whilst I am looking for a job, I would like to call 3 prospective employers each week and ask them about any vacancies. I would like to be able to do this within the next 3 weeks.

3. I would like to learn how to challenge my negative thinking so that I do not always jump to conclusions. Instead of worrying about things all day, I would like to allocate 20 minutes a day writing down all my worries and try to manage them. I would like to achieve this by the end of the month.


Let’s look at some examples of goals which are NOT SMART: 

1. I would like to feel less anxious.

2. I would like to stop avoiding things.

3. I would like to do the things I used to do.