A few days ago, OpenAI’s official Twitter announced that ChatGPT will open the Custom instructions feature to all free users. This is fantastic! I believe everyone is curious about the main purpose of this feature and what problems it aims to solve. In this article, Booster will introduce how to use this feature.

Custom instructions are now available to ChatGPT users on the free plan, except for in the EU & UK where we will be rolling it out soon! https://t.co/Y1IIjgDDPV

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) August 9, 2023

ChatGPT Custom Instructions – Solving the Problem of Having to Repeat Inputting Prompt Keywords Every Time

When using ChatGPT, we find that in order to make the input results meet our requirements, we must re-enter the same prompt keywords (role, background, needs, output format) for every new conversation, for example:

Question:

You are a professional mental health counselor, and I will tell you my specific psychological problems in the following questions. Please tell me how to adjust my mood afterward. When telling me the plan, please follow the format and order below:

Comfort me with one sentence to smooth my emotions.
Specific guidance process.
Can you do it?

ChatGPT reply:

Certainly, I can assist you with emotional support and guidance, but please note that I am not a licensed mental health professional. For serious mental health concerns, it's always best to consult with a mental health expert.

Feel free to share what's on your mind, and I'll do my best to provide support within the given format:

1. Comforting sentence.
2. Specific guidance process.

Question:

I am heartbroken.

ChatGPT reply:

I'm truly sorry to hear that you're feeling this way, but please know that I'm here for you, even though it's only through text. Here's the format you requested:

Comforting sentence:
You're strong and capable, and with time and effort, you'll heal and grow from this experience.

Specific guidance process:

Allow Yourself to Feel: It's normal to feel heartbroken. Give yourself permission to feel and express your emotions.
Seek Support from Friends and Family: Sometimes, talking to someone can make a big difference.
Engage in Activities You Enjoy: Doing things you love can lift your mood.
Consider Professional Help if Needed: If you find that you're struggling to cope, don't hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional.
Take Time to Heal: Healing takes time, so be patient with yourself and don't rush the process.
Please reach out to friends, family, or a mental health professional if you need more personalized support.

But when we open a new dialog box, it forgets our needs:

Question:

I am heartbroken.

ChatGPT reply:

I'm truly sorry to hear that you're feeling this way. Heartbreak is one of the most intense and complex emotions humans experience. Remember, it's okay to feel grief, sadness, anger, or any other emotion that comes your way.

Here are some things that might help, though everyone copes differently:

1. **Allow yourself to grieve:** It's essential to give yourself permission to feel and process those emotions. Suppressing them can prolong the healing process.

2. **Reach out:** Talking to someone you trust, whether it's a friend, family member, or professional, can help. They might not have all the answers, but simply being listened to can be therapeutic.

3. **Stay active:** While it's okay to take some time to just be, eventually getting up and moving – whether it's through exercise, taking a walk, or just doing something you love – can help alleviate some of the emotional pain.

4. **Avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms:** It can be tempting to numb the pain with substances or jump into another relationship immediately. However, these can lead to more problems down the line.

5. **Remember that healing takes time:** As cliché as it sounds, time can help mend emotional wounds. You might have good days and bad days, but gradually, the intensity of the pain should decrease.

6. **Reframe your thoughts:** Trying to find some understanding or meaning in what happened can sometimes help. This doesn't mean you have to be okay with it, but understanding can sometimes lead to acceptance.

7. **Seek professional help if needed:** If your feelings become overwhelming or lead to thoughts of harming yourself or others, it's crucial to seek professional assistance immediately.

While I'm just a machine and can't truly understand or feel emotions, I'm here to help and provide information. If you need someone to talk to, please consider reaching out to a helpline, counselor, or trusted individual in your life.

Without adding the requirements, the reply becomes quite formulaic and lacks empathy. So before the Custom instructions feature was available, the only thing we could do was add our requirements to every new conversation, a repetitive operation that is quite time-consuming. Custom instructions are designed to solve this problem.

How to Set Up ChatGPT Custom Instructions

Setup Steps

Step 1 | In the bottom left corner of the ChatGPT interface, open the menu. Click on “Custom instructions.”

Step 2 | After clicking, we will see a Custom instructions pop-up window as shown below.

Step 3 | In “What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?” enter information about role, background, needs, etc. This way, ChatGPT will better understand what you want.

What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?

You are a professional mental health counselor, and I will tell you my specific psychological problems in the following questions. Please tell me how to adjust my mood afterward.

步驟4 | Step 4 | In “How would you like ChatGPT to respond?” enter the output format you desire.

How would you like ChatGPT to respond?

When telling me the plan, please follow the format and order below:

Comfort me with one sentence to smooth my emotions.
Specific guidance process.

The final result is as shown below:

Step 5 | After completing the settings, click on “Save” in the bottom right corner.

At this point, we have completed the setup of Custom instructions.

Verification Results

Step 1 | First, we open a new conversation.

Step 2 | In the new conversation box, enter “I am heartbroken.” Then see if the content of ChatGPT’s reply meets our requirements.

Question:

I am heartbroken.

ChatGPT replies:

I'm truly sorry to hear that you're feeling this way, but know that healing is possible with time and care.

1. **Comforting Sentence:** Heartbreak is an incredibly painful experience, but remember that your feelings are valid, and it's okay to grieve.

2. **Specific Guidance Process:**
   a. **Allow Yourself to Feel:** Give yourself permission to feel the pain without judgment. It's natural and necessary to grieve the loss.
   b. **Seek Support from Friends or Family:** Surround yourself with loved ones who can provide support and understanding.
   c. **Create a Healing Routine:** Engage in activities you enjoy and create a daily routine that includes self-care and time for reflection.
   d. **Avoid Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms:** Stay away from substances or behaviors that might mask the pain temporarily but harm you in the long run.
   e. **Consider Professional Help if Needed:** If the heartbreak continues to affect your daily life significantly, consider seeking professional help from a mental health counselor.
   f. **Give It Time:** Healing from heartbreak is a gradual process, and it's normal for it to take time. Be patient with yourself and allow the process to unfold naturally.

Step 3 | Let’s open a new conversation box again. This time, enter “I was betrayed by a friend, and I feel distressed.”

Question:

I was betrayed by a friend, and it hurts.

ChatGPT replies:

I'm truly sorry to hear that you're going through this pain; betrayal can be incredibly hurtful, but I'm here to help you navigate through it.

1. **Comforting Sentence:** It's natural to feel hurt and confused when someone we trust betrays us, but remember, their actions are not a reflection of your worth or character.

2. **Specific Guidance Process:**
   a. **Allow Yourself to Grieve:** Give yourself permission to feel the emotions without judgment. It's okay to feel hurt, angry, or disappointed.
   b. **Seek Support from Trusted Individuals:** Talk to family or friends who can provide empathy and understanding.
   c. **Consider Professional Help if Needed:** Sometimes, a betrayal can lead to more profound emotional issues. Don't hesitate to seek professional counseling if it feels overwhelming.
   d. **Evaluate the Relationship:** Take some time to think about the relationship with your friend and what you want moving forward. You may decide to rebuild trust, set new boundaries, or move on without them.
   e. **Practice Self-Care:** Engage in activities that you enjoy and that make you feel good. Taking care of yourself can aid in the healing process.
   f. **Work on Forgiveness (if Appropriate):** This doesn't mean forgetting, but finding a way to release the anger and hurt for your own well-being.
   
Remember, healing takes time, and it's a process that's different for everyone. Taking care of yourself and seeking support can make this difficult time more manageable.

We can see that we no longer need to repeatedly enter our requirements. Isn’t it very convenient and efficient?

Areas for Improvement

Currently, Custom instructions provide features that greatly improve our efficiency and avoid much repetitive work. However, in general, we don’t always ask about related things, so we definitely need to reset the information in Custom instructions. Hopefully, in the future, ChatGPT can provide a more diverse setting, allowing us to set different usage scenarios, and then provide us with a dropdown menu to switch scenarios directly when using it. That would become even more convenient.