Goal setting—this is how you can do it
Setting goals can be used in basically any field, including when it comes to treating rheumatic disease. But how do you actually go about setting a suitable goal?
Sometimes you hear that you, as a patient, should work with goal setting— that you should set goals for your treatment. Last year, the results of a study were presented that investigated how patients with so-called musculoskeletal diseases (MSD), which include rheumatoid arthritis, perceived the actual process of setting goals. It turned out that goal setting was not always simple. (1)
We've all tried to set goals at some point in our lives. Not necessarily related to the treatment of an illness, but perhaps around training or something else.
Think about what you really want
Your goal, no matter what it is about, must of course always be meaningful to you. It should be something that you really want to achieve. A treatment plan that contains meaningful goals can contribute to better well-being, both physically and mentally (2).
But what do you actually do when setting goals? What should you think about to increase the probability of reaching your goal?
Put your goal into words
The SMART method can help formulate the goal. The letter combination means that the goal should be
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Timebound.
An example of goal setting that does not follow the points above is the following:
"I want to cook more." (2)
If we instead use SMART to formulate the goal, it could look like this:
"I want to cook three home made dinners every week for the next six months, so that I can cook Thanksgiving dinner for my family this year." (2)
If you set goals with your treatment, it could be anything from being able to pursue a hobby that means a lot to you without feeling too limited by your diagnosis, to being able to take a trip that you dreamed of. Be sure that it is your goal that is being formulated, not your doctor's or anyone else's.