Depression and Goal Setting
How to set goals if you're living with depression.
If you’re depressed, you’re less likely to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself. But the problem isn’t your depression. Researchers have found it’s the goals you set.
There are lots of things to consider when making goals. You want something specific and measurable with actions that provide feedback as you go along. You need daily reminders of what you’re trying to accomplish and specific times set aside to do the work. You also have to make sure those goals are realistic for your situation.
That last point is significant. Many people make goals that are too generalized or ambiguous.
In 2011 Dr. Joanne Dickson, from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Psychology, Health and Society studied depressed people and goals. The study found that depressed people weren’t less motivated by goals they set, but they were more pessimistic about attaining them.
That result was a problem. If two groups of people are equally motivated, why were the goals of depressed people less likely to be successful?
In 2013 Dr. Dickson looked specifically at the goals set by two groups of people. Those who were depressed and those who weren’t. Participants had to make lists of personal goals that were then analyzed. The researchers found dramatic differences in goal-setting habits between the two groups.
Dr. Dickson said, “This study, for the first time, examined whether this trait also encompasses personal goals. We found that the goals that people with clinical depression listed lacked a specific focus, making it more difficult to achieve them and therefore creating a downward cycle of negative thoughts.”
Both groups in the study were coming up with the same number of goals, but the depressed people were listing things that were far more vague. The harder it is to take specific actions, the less motivation someone will have to do what’s required, and the less likely that goal can be achieved.
Here’s an example. A more generalized goal might be, “I’m going to get more sleep at night.” On the surface, that seems reasonable, but it lacks specificity. If you only sleep five hours a night and increase that to five and a half, you’ve achieved the goal, but you’ll still probably be tired.
Now change that goal to, “I’m going to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, so I wake up refreshed.” That’s clear, definite and measurable. You’ve included why the goal is important, “so I wake up refreshed,” and you set a measurable time you can track. Six hours is better than five, but you still understand the ultimate goal is eight hours.
Coming up with more specific goals and clarifying why it’s important to achieve them significantly increases the success rate. According to Dr. Dickson, those successes can break the “cycle of negativity which is coupled with depression.”
An easy way to put this into practice is by giving every goal a beginning, middle and end.
If you want to go from five hours of sleep a night to eight, your beginning might be improving the atmosphere of the room you sleep in so there are fewer distractions. You don’t watch TV in bed. You lower the temperature and quit scrolling online for at least an hour before you plan on sleeping. The middle might be doing things that relax you, such as reading a book or meditating for a few minutes. While the end could be physically going to bed at an earlier, pre-set time.
Here are a few concrete goal examples.
- I will eat at least four servings of different vegetables every day.
- I will do resistance exercises for at least 28 minutes three times a week.
- I will go to bed, turn out the lights and turn off all electronics at least eight hours before I have to wake up.
- I will set an alarm that goes off once every two hours during the day, telling me to get up and walk around for five minutes.
Reference Links:
Depressed people are not less motivated by personal goals but are more pessimistic about attaining them
Joanne M Dickson, Nicholas J Moberly, Peter Kinderman
Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2011 Nov;120(4):975-80. doi: 10.1037/a0023665. Epub 2011 May 9.
Reduced specificity of personal goals and explanations for goal attainment in major depression
Joanne M Dickson, Nicholas J Moberly
PLoS One, 2013 May 15;8(5):e64512. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064512. Print 2013.
Goal Fluency, Pessimism and Disengagement in Depression
Joanne M. Dickson ,Nicholas J. Moberly,Christian O’Dea,Matt Field
PLoS One, November 30, 2016 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166259
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11/23/2022
