Humans have two types of working memories, one short term and one long term. The long term one is used for identity’s planning and our behavior and habits that we have formed over the course of our life. Our short term memory comes into picture in our daily lives when we have to make decisions or revert in split seconds, this is where our current personality’s mood, identity and state comes into light. Both these types of working memories can be modulated, understood and repurposed according to our goals.
What are these goals?
Goals are any planned destinations that we carefully move towards with each of our decisions. These decisions have to be pre-planned so as to affect both your short-term and long-term memories. For example, if your goal is to lose weight then you have a plan and stand on your plan of not eating excessive carbs. You have to stick to your schedule and regularly go to the gym to reach your weight goals months down the line. All your steps and scenarios of temptation have to be mapped out and your responses have to be dealt with to reach your goals even if you fall once or twice.
How to plan goals?
The first thing you need to do is to convince yourself that this is the goal that will give you the most satisfaction and happiness in comparison to your current lifestyle and situation. Make a list of pros and cons and then only if you feel comfortable and delighted enough to follow them should you take your goals seriously. Don’t do it if your mind isn’t made as it would only lead to failure, don’t do it if you are easily discouraged or distracted or you find yourself being indulged in something unrelated. Do it only when your mind, body and soul are in unison and you want to reach that dreamed destination at all costs. This is why and how is just a matter of a realistic analysis of the steps you will have to take to reach your goal. If your goal is to be mentally healthy, then you will try to open yourself up to new education, reasoning, people, experiences and going to therapy.
How to stick to the goals?
Once it is all planned, you now actually have to stick by your steps and divert only enough so as to not infiltrate your ongoing progress. The only sure fire way to stick to your goals is either by motivation or addiction. Motivation to go to gym for example comes and dissolves when you have to repeat the process of pain over and over again every single day to see very little progress. However, if you keep on motivating yourself daily then a feedback loop is born that allows you to seamlessly follow your goals and soon become addicted to them. The zeal and the happiness that then comes forth can occur only if you are able to attain joy during the journey for the destination itself.
If you haven’t made and followed goals before then you should start with small term ones and once you have mastered them and have tasted the fulfillment that comes from reaching them then you can transform your life according to all kinds of long term goals.
You can form, regulate and work towards those goals with the help of the Solh App. Let’s alleviate mental health and break the stigma to form a place away from judgment and biasness of the society. Find the best psychologists at just a click away and share your journey to inspire others.