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MENTAL HEALTH CORNER: Charting a new path

| By By Julia Rhea, Southwest Mental Health Counselor
Julia Rhea

Julia Rhea

Welcome to 2020, Saluqis! A new year brings about new opportunities. While you can make changes in your life at any point during the year, the beginning provides a unique opportunity to think about changes you want to make and to set a path toward working on those changes.

Many of us start the new year with grand ideas of big things that we want to accomplish during the year. We make resolutions that reflect those grand plans. Our ideas sound great in the beginning. They give us a sense of empowerment. We feel capable and excited to enact our plan. Then, we get started on working toward our goals and get frustrated when we don’t see the results happen as quickly as we want. This has certainly been my experience. Does it sound similar to you? What if I told you that you can achieve those grand goals and reduce the frustration along the way?

You can start by writing that big goal down. Then think about the small steps you have to take along the way to reach that goal and write those down. For example, if you want to make better grades this semester, define what those better grades look like. Maybe you want at least a B in each class. So, what steps are you going to take to get that B? You may decide to miss no more than two seminars, complete all assignments on time, study at least 30 minutes the day before each quiz or exam, take notes during seminar, and complete any extra credit assignments that are available to you. Each of these smaller goals breaks down your big goal and gives you achievable steps along the way.

Don’t forget to celebrate the small steps along the way. If you go to class on a day when you really would rather sleep in or you turn in an assignment the day before it is due, celebrate that win and treat yourself. Celebrating does not have to be complicated or expensive. It can be something as simple as going to get ice cream, going to hang out with a friend, or watching your favorite show. You can write down your progress along the way so that you can reflect on all the small goals that you have achieved. This can help keep you stay motivated to continue working toward that big goal.

Did you know that mental health counseling can help you with your goals? We cannot make the changes for you, but we can help guide you along your journey. Southwest provides free mental health counseling to all enrolled students. I am currently on a leave of absence, but referrals are available to outside counseling agencies. Southwest will pay for you to have five sessions per semester.