Obstacles and Strategies is one of my favorite things to work on with my clients. It seems to help with so many things going on in their lives. Whenever they have a problem, or a goal or source of anxiety it is such a helpful concept.
The concept is so simple. Basically you write down all the obstacles that would get in your way. List them all, one per line. Just get them all down no matter how relevant they are. Then take a look at your list. Decide if the obstacle is really a valid concern or not. Some may not be. Those you cross off the list.
Now take your new list. Next to each obstacle you work out a strategy that will help you with the obstacle. It may be a simple strategy or have several steps. Make sure you work the strategy all the way to eliminating your obstacle.
Here is an example:
My Goal: Write a blog post every Monday
Obstacles: Strategies:
not enough time Get it in Calendar to do Monday at noon
not enough content keep a notebook that I write in every time I come up with an idea
unmotivated be true to my goal, reward will be giving back to my people
no internet access Plan ahead for when away and schedule posts
This is just a simple example. It can free up so much space in your mind and also alleviate a lot of the anxiety about how you are going to get something done. If your brain knows exactly how you will handle each obstacle that could come up you can relax into the situation and enjoy yourself.
If you would like your teenager or young adult to learn how to apply obstacles and strategies into their own life, book a free session with me. Click the button below.