Edit Your Goals

Today is about honest edits: release a “should” that’s weighing you down, name the hurt that lingers even after an apology, and choose the kind of discomfort that leads to growth. You don’t have to carry every old plan or perform being “fine.” Make space for what actually fits who you are now.

Today’s Quick Overview:

🌟Self-Worth Spotlight: Let go of outdated self-improvement goals…
🗣️ What Your Emotions Are Saying: Anger after apology reveals stored hurt…
📰 Mental Health News: Belonging in schools and TikTok’s mental health risks…
🙏 Daily Practice: Choose growth over comfort, even when it aches…

Let's see what you're holding onto and what's ready to be released:

What are you gripping tightly today? A goal that matters or yesterday's small win? And what's ready to leave your hands? Maybe unhelpful expectations or the need to control outcomes. Notice the difference between holding with care and holding too tight.

A Note to Our Mental Health Professional Readers

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Today we want to hear from you. Your clinical experience and expertise could help shape how we serve our community. What topics need demystifying? What resources would actually help your practice? We're committed to bridging the gap between professional knowledge and public understanding, but we need your insights to do it well.

This Week's Challenge: The "Project Release" Exercise

What it is: Choose one self-improvement goal you've been carrying around, like something you've told yourself you "should" do for months or years, and formally let it go. This week, practice the idea that your worth doesn't depend on completing every plan you've ever made for becoming a "better" version of yourself.

Example scenarios:

Try this: Pick one goal that's been weighing on you. Write it down, then write: "I release this. My worth doesn't depend on completing this." Notice what comes up: relief? Guilt? Freedom? Sit with whatever feelings arise.

Why it works: Every uncompleted self-improvement project becomes quiet evidence that you're not disciplined or good enough. But holding onto goals that no longer serve you creates shame without purpose.

Reframe this week: Instead of "I should still do this someday," try, "I'm allowed to change, and my worth isn't tied to every plan I've ever made."

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Feeling Angry When Someone Apologizes Sincerely (When You Expected Them to Defend Themselves)

You were ready for a fight. You'd rehearsed what you were going to say, prepared for excuses. But instead, they just apologized. Genuinely. And instead of feeling relieved, you feel a flash of anger. Maybe even more upset than before.

Instead of judging the anger, ask: What is this feeling trying to tell me about what I was really preparing for?

Hidden Question: "If they don't fight back, what do I do with all this hurt I've been carrying?"

Why It Matters: Anger at a sincere apology often isn't about the apology itself; it's about how much energy you'd built up expecting to defend yourself or finally be heard. When someone apologizes without resistance, it can leave you holding all that defensive energy with nowhere to put it.

Try This: When you feel that unexpected anger, ask: "What part of me still needs to be heard, even after they've said sorry?"

Maybe you need to express how much it hurt, talk about the pattern rather than just this incident, or sit with the fact that getting what we want doesn't immediately heal what's been broken. Sometimes we're not angry at the apology, we're angry that it took this long, or that the hurt was real in the first place.

I can choose the pain of growth over the pain of stagnation. Both hurt, but only one leads somewhere better.

Think of one uncomfortable change you resisted that ultimately improved your life. That transition taught you that discomfort isn't always a warning; sometimes it's a doorway.

It's okay to outgrow people, places, and versions of yourself that once fit perfectly. What served you then doesn't have to serve you now.

Identify one area where you've been staying put because leaving feels too hard. Ask yourself honestly: Is staying actually easier, or am I just more familiar with this particular kind of pain?

When Your Family Treats Your Mental Health Medication/Therapy as Shameful

The Scenario: Your family treats your medication or therapy like something to hide. They say "do you really need to be on that?" or lower their voices when discussing it. Their shame makes you feel like there's something wrong with taking care of your mental health.

Try saying this: "There's nothing shameful about taking care of my mental health. I need you to stop treating my medication/therapy like it's something to hide or be embarrassed about. This is healthcare, just like anything else."

Why It Works: You're refusing to accept their shame as valid, positioning mental healthcare as legitimate medical treatment, and setting a clear boundary that their comments need to stop, all while staying confident rather than apologizing or justifying your need for treatment.

Pro Tip: If they respond with "we just don't want people to think there's something wrong with you," you can say: "Taking care of my mental health shows there's something right with me; I'm being responsible about my wellbeing. Your embarrassment is your issue to work through, not mine."

Don't internalize their shame about mental health treatment. You're doing exactly what you should be doing by getting the care you need.

Picture a seedling that has outgrown its starter pot. The roots are circling, pressed against the walls, searching for room to expand. The pot protected it perfectly in the beginning, but now staying means stunted growth. Tonight you can recognize when a container that once protected you has become too small.

Spend three minutes writing: Where in my life am I choosing familiar discomfort over unfamiliar possibility, and what am I really afraid would happen if I moved?

Close your notebook and ask yourself: What situation have I been tolerating that I know deep down I've outgrown? What's the cost of staying versus the cost of leaving? What would I tell someone I love who was stuck in this same place?

"Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don't belong." — Mandy Hale

The ache of transformation eventually fades, but the regret of staying stuck compounds with time.

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Coming Wednesday: When your partner “jokes” about leaving during arguments, it’s not harmless. Learn how to set boundaries around relationship threats and create safety in conflict.

Researched and edited by Natasha. Designed with love by Kaye.

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*The Daily Wellness shares educational content only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice and diagnosis. Please consult a licensed provider for personalized care.