Using SMART Goals with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Raise your hand if you have ever set a goal or a new years resolution and it sounded like this…

“I’m going to go to the gym twice a week”

“more vegetables for lunch and dinner”

“I’m going to eat out less during the week”

We have all been there before and at one point or another (full disclosure ahead)each of those was a goal of mine.

Naturally, setting goals makes you feel good and gives you something to work towards. Every time I set a goal, like the ones above, I remember a natural feeling of excitement because it was a chance to be productive (not because I’m super stoked for more vegetables). And if you are anything like me, this probably rings especially true for my women with anxiety and women with perfectionism.

When I look at those goals now, they feel kinda empty.

Sure, I wanted to do those things and I thought I would in the moment when I said them and wrote them down. But they also did not have anything behind them, or at least nothing of substance.

In this blog, I’m sharing tips on how to set goals using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy SMART goals guide.

I am an anxiety therapist in Wilmington, NC and provide act therapy in Wilmington, NC. I specialize in therapy for women in Wilmington, NC. In addition to anxiety treatment, I also provide treatment for perfectionism, therapy for imposter syndrome, and burnout counseling.

I provide online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for high achieving women in North Carolina and Maryland.

Ready to start therapy with me and get your goal setting on? Click the button below to schedule your free 15 minute consultation on the date and time of your choice.

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Keep reading to learn how to set ACT therapy SMART goals.

Setting SMART Goals with ACT Therapy

Most people are familiar with the term SMART goals. I remember learning this way back in the day while going to school. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Most often this is used to help a goal become more clear and increase the chance of accomplishing your goal.

Don’t get me wrong setting SMART goals using this formula works and there isn’t anything wrong with this idea but I’m going to introduce a new method of setting SMART goals that is used in acceptance and commitment therapy.

So follow along and try putting it into practice as you go!

Step #1 of Setting SMART Goals with ACT Therapy: Be Specific

Okay so this doesn’t necessarily change from the old method. It’s important that you can be specific as possible to make the action and intent clear. This allows for easier guidance.

Example - “I’m going to start walking more” versus “I’m going to walk 2 laps around my neighborhood when I get home from work”

Step #2 of Setting SMART Goals with ACT Therapy: Make it Meaningful

Having an understanding of what your values are is really important here. Linking your SMART goal to a specific value will make your goal more important to you and more likely to follow through.

Example - the area of my life I want to focus on is Health and the value would be Fitness.

Step #3 of Setting SMART Goals with ACT Therapy: Make it Adaptive

Is this goal going to improve your life in some way?

Example - Walking can improve my mental health by releasing stress and releasing endorphins, it get my body moving because I sit for work all day long, and will lower my bad cholesterol. Added benefit of good training for that upcoming Disney World vacation.

Step #4 of Setting SMART Goals with ACT Therapy: Make it Realistic

Do you have all the resources you need to accomplish the goal you set? Resources would include things such as time, money, support system, physical health, knowledge, and skill set. If you find that you don’t have the resources in place you would need, set a new SMART goal focusing on that resource.

Example - Needing new walking shoes that are going to be a better support for my body. This costs extra money I don’t have currently. Set the new SMART goal around saving the money to purchase the new shoes in order to complete the original SMART goal.

Step #5 of Setting SMART Goals with ACT Therapy: Make it Time-Framed

Be specific and accurate as possible here. This helps to increase follow through and accountability. Including the day or date and time will help you to take action.

Example - Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 5:30PM and Saturday mornings at 9AM, I will begin my 2 lap walk around my neighborhood. I will also block off this time in my virtual calendars and work planner so I see it daily as a reminder.

Now that you have the formula, what SMART goal are you going to set?

Click the photo below to download a free SMART goal setting worksheet.

Goal Setting | Setting SMART goals | ACT Therapy | ACT therapy SMART Goals | ACT therapist | Journaling | Planning

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Setting goals is really helpful and it can be really hard to follow through. When this happens, it can set you up to be hard on yourself and spiral into unhelpful thoughts and feelings.

Using SMART goals formula from acceptance and commitment therapy can be helpful and create motivation to stick your goals by relating back to the values that are important to you and being intentional with how this goal is going to improve your life.

I use ACT therapy for anxiety treatment and to address perfectionism and work burnout.

Learn more about ACT therapy for anxiety and how it can be helpful for you.