Understanding Lead and Lag Indicators in Mental Health

Lead Behavior: Taking prescribed medication daily

Lag Indicator: Feeling better three months later

Lead Behavior: Getting 8 hours of sleep a night

Lag Indicator: Handling stress better and thinking more clearly overall within a month

Lead Behavior: Going to therapy weekly

Lag Indicator: Demonstrating more helpful problem-solving skills when relationship difficulties arise.

What you do consistently does not pay off with noticeable progress immediately, but the choice of action and the consistency of doing it is what you can control.

The effects that are produced from those lead actions are achieved after the fact.  They are measurable and may be beneficial or be found to need different lead actions to result in different outcomes, but the important thing you recognize is that the lag indicator outcomes follow the lead actions, often much later in time.

It is a common mistake to think that taking action doesn't matter because we may not see the resulting indicators quickly, yet, this is where mental health progress can stall.  This is the place where feelings are not facts. Just because you don't feel like it makes a difference to take your medication, get enough sleep, challenge your negative thoughts consistently, or whatever else, does not mean that it isn't worth it to do.

In fact, this is when it is important to step out in faith and be consistent, so that you begin the actions that result in the payoffs you are hoping to achieve.

What will you do today, and do consistently, whether you feel like it or not, that will get you to your goal over time? 

When you take care of the lead behaviors, the lag indicators of success and reaping the good that was sewn results over time.

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