We are starting to count down the days until exams and school are over for the year, 2023 is quickly approaching and the New Year resolution ideas are flooding in. We need to make sure that we are setting attainable and realistic goals for ourselves. Setting goals for yourself with no specific aim, that are unrealistic, or are too vague can be detrimental to your overall mental and physical health. Not reaching your predicted goals can cause a sense of failure, creating high self-criticism, de-motivation, low self-esteem, poor sense of self, negative thinking, and codependency. One or more of these issues can cause depression and anxiety in oneself to rise and potentially become harmful and irreparable. However, there is a way to set goals that can be attenable and achievable while being proactive and keeping your mental and physical health in mind, using the SMART method. The SMART method allows you to plan and organize your considerations and ambitions in an organized and well thought out manner, pushing for success in reaching your personal goals.

SMART goal setting:

Specific

A specific goal should answer these five questions:

• What exactly do I want to achieve?
• Why – specific reasons, purpose, or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
• Who is involved?
• Where – identify a location.
• Which restrictions or limits are important to consider?

Measurable

A measurable goal will answer:

• How much or how many?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

Achievable

An achievable goal will answer the question:

• How can this goal be accomplished?

Relevant

A relevant goal will answer yes to these questions:

• Does this seem worthwhile?
• Is this the right time?
• Does this match our other efforts/needs?

Time-bound

Goals includes target dates. A time-bound goal will help to answer:

• When must I be finished?
• What can I do six months from now?
• What can I do six weeks from now?
• What can I do today?

Once you have finalized your SMART goals, the next phase that many goal-setters fall short of is to plan the next steps you need to take and how to put them into action. Think of what resources you need, what activities do you need to complete to achieve your goal, and who can help you achieve your goal. Having a supportive friend and/or family network to help you stay on track can be very beneficial to you the people around you. Remember that failure is a part of the process and paves the way for success as it allows for the opportunity to learn and grow from it. As Michael Jordan said:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And this is why I succeed”

Read Here for more information on a How-To guide for SMART goal setting.

Hey, it’s Fall Reading Week! What a great time to Check-In with the Lakehead WellU Key!

Are you eating enough leafy greens? Have you been active today? How's your sleep?

Sleep is critical for learning and memory. The process of learning is actively taken up by your brain during sleep, especially during the REM stage. Sleep is essential for long-term memory formation, and it is during sleep that memory consolidation and enhancement occur.

A lack of good quality sleep can make it harder to focus and think clearly and can cause increased fatigue, irritability, and anxiety during the day. All of which can cause your academic performance to suffer. 

It is not only the number of hours of sleep that matters but other factors such as quality of sleep are important. A common belief is that lost sleep from a late night of studying can be recovered by “sleeping in” another day or taking naps. However, both methods disrupt the body’s circadian rhythms and may deprive the body of deeper sleep stages. It is important to respond, whenever possible, to the body’s natural signals of sleepiness.

If you have fallen into a sleep schedule that is not working for you because you are having trouble getting up in the morning or staying up later than you want, there is no time like the present to get into a new sleep routine.

Try some of the following to get into a sleep pattern that works for you:

- Go to bed early enough to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night

- Be consistent with your sleep schedule, even on the weekends.

- If you need to nap, make it brief; keep it under 15 minutes and before 3pm

- Avoid studying, watching tv, or talking on the phone while in bed.

- Stay away from caffeine and other stimulants later in the day.

- Try to be physically active in some way each day.

- Help your body wind down naturally by turning off digital screens and dimming lights before bed.

- Try an app, like BetterSleep, Sleep Cycle, Pzizz, or Sleepiest.

If your sleep schedule is interfering with your academic work, job, and other responsibilities, if the above strategies don’t work, or if you’re struggling with sleep in any way, talk to your doctor or health care practitioner.

For more information and resources related to sleep check out the Sleep Section of our site!