Hi Butternut,

Some list you got there, wise thinking! I'm so depressed for the time being because of two really hard triggers that pushed me out of the borders that are manageable for me some time ago now.

Before that I have had success with making a daily to do list that includes everything from eating my breakfast to go to bed at a decent time. I used the same plan each week and made special plans for days when I knew had to be different (being invited to a party as an example).

Why should it be important to write a plan for going to a party? Well if one has social anxiety, it might be of some help to imagine small things, that might happen and do calming exercises in advance. That calms down before the party and helps at the party.

One of my problems is a very slow switch in arousal (energy). If I feel like a failure at the party that will follow me home and destroy my sleep and my opportunity for functioning well the next day. If it is the opposite way, I will be so happy that I cannot sleep and have my next day spoiled because of that.

So, why all this talk about everyday problems when you wanted to know about long-term goals? ? Well that's simple to explain. If one suffer from one or more emotional disorders, one have to plan for how to cope with one's own personal triggers along the road to be able to have the energy for working to reach the long-term goal.

Since I used a daily plan to cope with the ordinary, I will (when the plan is working) only have to make some room for my new goal inside my ordinary plan. That might mean to take out something less important to give place to the new goal.

At the end of the week I do not push harder if I have failed. I then reduce the little goals so it is possible to overcome them the next week. First when I'm sure that now I'm ready to move on, I make the small steps more difficult.

Doing it this way has helped me to accept that sometimes there are setbacks and still be at track in spite of the setbacks.

We all have our personal ways to react to daily triggers, so I suppose that to find ones triggers is a personal task for each individual.

My crucial "things" to reach a long-term goal are almost similar to yours: Writing down and evaluate.

If what I'm writing here might be a help to others, it will gladden my heart.

For the time being I'm below the level where I'm able to function as I usually do! Long-term goals are for the moment out of question.