A Naturalistic Support tool which can help direct our attention toward our strengths is keeping a record of what we have accomplished. People feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by what they are not achieving will often invest time and energy compiling lists of the tasks they need to complete. While these “to do” lists can help, in many cases there is substantially more that could be realized by making a Have-Done List.
If you cannot think of any recent accomplishments, you can include those from your past. The length of time you look back doesn’t matter as long as you recognize that despite whatever might be challenging you presently, the person who accomplished those things was, and still is you.
What you regard as an accomplishment should take into consideration your level of functioning. There was a period in my life when I was gripped with serious depression and feelings of worthlessness. At that time doing even the smallest act required me to summon up strength. It felt a little ridiculous having a list that included such tasks as brushing my teeth or moving my car by 11AM to avoid a parking ticket. But I had committed to making the list and so I did. While my problems did not immediately disappear, those Have-Done lists definitely helped in way that a to-do list never could.
As trivial and indicative of low level functioning as they are, such modest entries require substantially more effort than far more impressive achievements. Higher level accomplishments result in a forward moving inertia, increasing with each advance. At other more activated times in my life, such as participating in beneficial business transactions, the effort involved felt far less challenging than my struggle against being emotionally immobilized.
No matter how insignificant they seem, by recognizing even the smallest ways that we continue to function, Have Done lists can facilitate building sufficient self-esteem to move on to higher functioning.