Setting Goals in Stroke Recovery

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Over the summer months, I attended a stroke survivor support group meeting where we discussed the concept of goal setting in recovery after stroke.

The nurses who ran the meeting then asked us if we had any goals we were currently working toward.

To my surprise, I was the only stroke survivor who raised their (virtual) hand!

I joked with the other regular meeting attendees that I was shocked to be the only one because I felt I had so many goals.

After some hesitation, they convinced me to share a goal of mine, and I said I hoped to walk across a slackline unassisted — a goal that I eventually would go on to accomplish in the following months after that meeting.

How Monthly Goals Helped Me in Recovery After Stroke

As a stroke survivor, it’s easy to want everything back at once: your old life, your old abilities, your old hobbies.

Yet, progress in stroke recovery doesn’t come overnight. Instead, it can be so painstakingly slow that on some days you feel like you’re going backward.

During the first year after my stroke, I constantly compared my progress to my pre-stroke self and felt I was coming up woefully short.

I wanted nothing more than to run as fast as I used to, jump as high as I used to, and lift as much weight as I used to.

However, considering that I simply struggled driving around the block to run some errands, driving myself to the gym to work out every day was not going to be an option.

My goals in recovery were way unrealistic with where I actually was.

Entering the second year after stroke, I decided to start chipping away at my goals one month at a time. What could I accomplish by Jan. 31 that I could be satisfied with rather than expecting myself to magically turn into my pre-stroke self?

Then, I did the same for February, March, April, and so on. It’s now been about two years since I started setting monthly goals for myself, and it’s had a hugely positive impact on me.

For example, instead of driving to the gym, how about simply driving solo more often and taking many more shorter trips as practice?

Or when I did get a chance to go to the gym or exercise, what were the exercises I wanted to be progressing in without assistance? How much weight could I add and for how many reps?

These are just a couple examples of simple physical goals I set for myself along the way, but others included finishing specific books or learning more about how to best run a blog.

Setting monthly goals that covered a variety of my interests has helped me to believe recovery is always progressing and prevented me from being discouraged that I’m not the person I used to be.

I now look forward to the end of each month to cross off the goals I’ve achieved and start setting new benchmarks for the following month.

The Benefits of Goal Setting for Stroke Survivors

In her book Identity Theft, Debra Meyerson discusses the importance of small wins, or little victories that have a large impact on how we perceive our situations.

Meyerson cites work by organizational theorist Karl Weick where he studied individuals in frustrating situations who could feel overwhelmed and helpless. Weick found that when these people set short-term goals, the accumulation of relatively small, ongoing achievements created meaningful changes in how they felt about their circumstances.

“As part of our recovery, we need to keep building small steps toward independent function – these small, seemingly insignificant victories help us continue moving forward and focus on the next achievable goal. The small steps add up,” Meyerson writes.

As part of our recovery, we need to keep building small steps toward independent function – these small, seemingly insignificant victories help us continue moving forward and focus on the next achievable goal. The small steps add up.

Debra Meyerson

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In general, goals should be realistic to obtain, but also challenging. They can’t be too easy or too hard.

Meyerson suggests that goals be specific and possible to accomplish relatively soon.

I found monthly goals to be most effective, but other timeframes – such as weekly—might be an option for you.

It’s also best to limit your goals, so you’re not distracted with too many pursuits in such a short time period. I often try to think of the one or two things that I’d really like to see myself doing over the next 30 days when setting goals each month.

Lastly, when setting a goal, think about what you’ll need to do to achieve it. What are the reasonable steps you could take to accomplish this goal?

Recovery after stroke doesn’t happen quickly, but setting short term goals can be an effective way to help you keep moving forward in life after stroke.