Counseling and Wellness Services: Words of Wellness
Words of Wellness are resources for students and the college community to access and utilize to improve and maintain their overall wellness. While the Wellness Center’s counseling and wellness services are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for counseling, consultation, and referral needs to currently registered students, on a remote basis either by phone or Zoom video sessions, we wanted to share additional resources that may be beneficial during this time.
Today, Feb. 3, we will be exploring goals and optimism. Therapist Aid states that, “Strong goals give a sense of purpose and inform a person’s decisions about everything they do.” Action for Happiness recognizes the utility of optimism in the pursuit of goal attainment by stating “although we face many challenges, there are also lots of reasons to stay hopeful. By consciously choosing our priorities, we can overcome issues, make progress and focus on what really matters.” As we continue to make our way through the Fall semester remember to Dream Big, Set Goals, Take Action and Be Well!
Action For Happiness Calendar- Optimistic October
While it may not be the month of October, this calendar with daily prompts for optimism is still an encouraging and helpful tool. Life is far from perfect, but there are lots of reasons for optimism. Setting positive goals for the future gives our lives a sense of direction and purpose. And although we face many challenges, there are also lots of reasons to stay hopeful. By consciously choosing our priorities, we can overcome issues, make progress and focus on what really matters.
Goal Exploration
Therapist Aid states: “Strong goals give a sense of purpose and inform a person’s decisions about everything they do. Learning about a person’s goals is like a window into their values. Much like values, goals can be a powerful tool in therapy. They can be used for motivation, a tool for exploration, or a guide for making decisions.
In the Goal Exploration activity, you will briefly describe your goals in several areas of life, such as family, career, social, and leisure. You will start with a broad five-year goal, then create one-year and one-month goals as stepping stones to reach your long-term goal.”
Goal Breakdown
Long to-do lists and difficult responsibilities often lead to stress and anxiety. If the stress and anxiety get to be too much, avoidance and procrastination may be used as unhealthy coping strategies. Avoidance and procrastination let a person avoid these uncomfortable emotions, at a cost.
Using the Goal Breakdown worksheet, you will learn how to break their goals into smaller and more manageable tasks. The first page includes an example and tips for doing this effectively. The second page is a template for you to apply what you’ve learned to your own goals.
Goal Planning
Therapist Aid describes that “having clear goals has been found to keep clients more engaged in therapy, and improve outcome measures at the end of treatment. Our Goal Planning worksheet is designed to help you accomplish this goal by providing a template for clients to generate short and long-term goals.
Goal Planning Worksheet: This worksheet asks you to come up with three goals — one for the next month, year, and five years. Next, you will identify potential obstacles, and strengths you can use to overcome them.
Setting Life Goals
“The Setting Life Goals worksheet serves as an effective motivation builder, which can also help to provide a sense of direction. Give yourself an opportunity to think about the most important areas of your lives (family, friends, work/school, spirituality, body, and mental health), what you are happy with, and what you would like to improve.” – TherapistAid.com
Need support in attaining your goals? Having a hard time with motivation or staying on track? Contact Counseling and Wellness Services, at (518) 629-7320 or counseling@hvcc.edu for additional support.
Wishing you success in the pursuit of your goals!
Counseling and Wellness Services Staff
Campus Center 270
(518) 629-7320
counseling@hvcc.edu
Published: Wed, 03 Feb 2021 12:45:54 +0000 by k.weeks