Yesterday morning, one of my patients was sharing his stresses with me. He is burning the candle at both ends and therefore is feeling like a failure at all his endeavors. He is especially resenting how much his work is pulling him away from his family. I'm sure you've all been there yourselves.
I listened to him as we worked on his shoulder rehab and offered a suggestion. This morning, I woke up to a "Thank You" email from him. He told me that he felt much better after leaving work a bit early to go home to have a catch with his son.
My advice was simple. I told him to set a reasonable goal for himself. Perhaps that is one night a week where he goes home early enough for dinner with his family. Even if he has to work until midnight the other nights, he'll know he'll have his dedicated time set aside. It'll ease his anxieties and enable him to work more efficiently. Most importantly, he'll get his time with his family. Conversely, if he sets a loftier goal of being home every night for dinner, it will likely lead to greater work stress and possibly even resentment towards his family.
When I give patients a home exercise program, it's not more than a few things at a time. I want the goals to be reasonable and achievable so that progress will result. The same goes for other areas in life. Lay down one building block at a time. Feel good about it, and then build on it. Don't feel as though you have to do it all in one day. Otherwise, you'll inevitably end up disappointing yourself time and again.
When setting goals, consider taking "small bites." While not only more digestible, they'll leave you feeling exponentially satisfied.
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