Creating a Vision Board

This week I was discussing with my therapist goals and self-care. Both are important in achieving what you want out of life. Finding self-care has been difficult for me lately. I’ve been in and out of appointments, along with school and other obligations self-care falls away. I always keep up my healthy patterns but during the day, I do very little to let myself take a breath. My therapist brought up a lot of various ideas but one that stuck with me was a vision board. Since I’m creating a new one, I figured I would outline what I’m doing. If you need a boost, I’d suggest you build one too!

• Career

A career is something that is important to me. What that looks like has changed a lot for me. Getting sick derailed a lot of my intentions. What I want and what I can achieve looks different. That’s not to say I don’t think I could have what I wanted before but I don’t know if I want that anymore. I will admit that it is hard for me to say that but goals change with us as we grow. I’ve grown out of my dream and that’s okay.

• Emotions

Arguably, this should be first. Mental health is something that will always be most important. For me, this looks like what I strive to achieve with my mental health. Not so much to be anxiety-free but to not let things bother me. I strive to be patient, kind, and compassionate to myself and others. I would also love to become less rigid about my schedule and things that I control.

• Personal Goals

This is where I put running a marathon. Something I want to achieve in life that has everything to do with my ambition and effort. It’s a little out of my control depending on my health but I want it on here. I’d also love to move abroad again. I want to get out of my box and try new things. On top of this, I’d like to be present and in the moment. I strive to be calm in the face of fear when adventuring out of my comfort zone.

• Physical Health

I questioned whether I should put this on here. This is tricky given my health issues. I wanted it on here because there are elements to my health I can control. I chose how to nourish my body. I chose how much water and salt I consume. I chose when I exercise and when I don’t. The point being, I may not control the whole picture but I get a piece and recognizing that is enough.

This is a starting point. There are a million things that can go on a vision board. I’m making mine virtual for ease. I’m going to use it as my screen saver to remind myself of where I am going. It’s an attempt to ground myself into the moment and remember what I’m working towards. If you’re struggling with motivation or self-care, I’d suggest trying this. It may not work universally but you may come out with a better sense of who you are and more importantly, who you want to be.