What is goal setting?
Setting goals is an important part of any treatment plan. Goal setting involves you and your healthcare team creating and agreeing on actions that you can take to help improve your health.
Goals can be general or specific. Specific goals (or SMART lifestyle goals) are action plans which help move you toward a more general goal.
SMART lifestyle goals are…
pecific – Specific goals have a greater chance of being achieved than general goals. To set a specific goal, you must answer the 6 Ws:
- Who: The people involved.
- What: Choose the accomplishment.
- Where: Identify a location.
- When: Establish a time frame.
- Which: Identify needs and constraints.
- Why: Reasons for – or benefits of – accomplishing the goal.
easurable – To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as:
- How much?
- How many?
- How will I know when it is accomplished?
ttainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills and financial capacity to reach them.
ealistic – To be realistic, a goal must be something that you are both willing and able to work for.A goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished.
ime bound – A goal must have a target date.
Goal setting should be collaborative, meaning you should work with your healthcare team. Together you can create realistic, health-related goals that you can achieve and that will help you improve your health.
Remember, it is important to set lifestyle goals and to recognize where lifestyle changes are possible.
The medication your doctor has prescribed you is an important part of your treatment plan. When you keep track of when you’re taking your medications and the time and place of your appointments, you’re keeping track of an important part of your treatment.
If you’re taking more than one medication, get organized.
Make a list on a weekly calendar – on paper or electronically – of the medications you take and when you should be taking them. You can even keep this grid where you keep your medications, and check them off as you go. That way, you get to see exactly what you’re doing to help stay on track with your treatment.
Some pharmacies have an automated prescription refill reminder program – they’ll call you or send you an email when it’s time to refill your medication. It’s something you may need to sign up for, so talk to your pharmacist today about tips to help you remember your refill.
Make the most of technology
These days, there are many useful apps available to help keep track of medication, lifestyle changes (such as weight, diet, physical activity), medical appointments, etc., on your smartphone. Check them out online and find the apps that work best for you.
