By: Brooke Phelps, LCSW, Elizabeth Koblenz, LMSW, and Lexi Nass, LMSW

Many people look to a new year as a fresh start; a time to reset and think about things they may want to accomplish or even let go of. When thinking about resolutions, oftentimes it can feel overwhelming or intimidating. Because of that, it may be helpful to think about intentions, instead. So often, when thinking about resolutions, it is common to think of big goals instead of smaller, achievable goals that feel more within reach. However, intentions are less about a specific goal and more about shifting your attention towards how you want to feel. For example, rather than making a resolution to exercise a certain number of times per week, you can set an intention to feel healthy and strong in your body. This allows you to be creative and empowers you to carry this mindset throughout the activity, the day, the week, and the year! 

Here are some ideas for intentions you can set for yourself in 2022: 

1)    Set and maintain healthy boundaries. If you notice there are some relationships or areas of your life that lack healthy boundaries, this is a great opportunity to reflect on and consider what you can do to feel more comfortable, respected, and happy in these dynamics. Take some time to write down how you feel about different relationships, what your needs are within them, and how those needs are (or are not) being met. It is also important to consider the times you’ve had weak boundaries and reflect on how you might act differently in the future. For example, rather than feeling compelled to do all the favors asked of you, think about what you prefer to do. Remember, the word “no” is a complete sentence. You don’t have to do everything that someone may ask you to do, especially if it doesn’t suit you. Saying “no” can be very empowering and can allow you to allocate more of your time to other people and activities.

2) Be intentional with your time. Scheduling time for a certain self-care activities gives you a sense of mastery and control over your time and serves as an extra opportunity to reflect on your intentions. By taking a proactive step to set aside this time for yourself, you can reduce the risk of other things getting in the way. Most importantly, scheduling time for self-care can help boost self-confidence, as you are actively prioritizing and fulfilling your own needs. Remember, taking time for self-care is important for maintaining balance and preventing burn out. By committing to self-care time/routines you help ensure your needs are met, which allows you to show up to everything else the best possible version of yourself!   

3) Get creative with accountability strategies. Everyone responds to different forms of motivation, so spend some time thinking about what motivates you specifically and use this information to come up with an accountability strategy that works best for you. Accountability strategies allow us to clearly define expectations, consider what resources are needed to meet those expectations, and help ensure we hold ourselves responsible to meeting those expectations. Consider things like habit trackers, which provide consistent and visual reminders of progress, buddy systems with friends or colleagues which provide encouragement and camaraderie while reaching goals, signing up for classes and activities in advance to safeguard against procrastination or indecisiveness, or even think about something specific that you can use to treat yourself when you arrive at certain benchmarks to remind yourself the entire process. These strategies are meant to be rewarding and fulfilling for you. Start by considering what your intentions are to connect to your source of motivation and build an accountability strategy from there! 

4) Connect to what you are hoping to achieve by establishing certain routines or healthy habits. Remember the overall meaning of your intentions and to think about how you feel versus putting pressure on yourself to achieve a specific goal in a specific amount of time. For example, if you want to focus on health and wellness in the new year, first connect to why this is important to you. Maybe you want to feel balanced, feel strong, or feel more in control of your time. Connecting to the intention allows you to focus on how you can achieve this feeling throughout the process and allows you to reflect on and be flexible in your routine. 

5) Set realistic and achievable intentions for yourself. For example, say you set an intention of engaging in physical activity daily. It may be helpful to keep a list of different activities in your phone to choose from to make picking an activity easier, like the idea of a menu. Switch it up and keep it interesting and fun for yourself. Some of these activities may be going for a walk, running on a treadmill, taking a workout class (at home or in a studio), or even 30 minutes of meditation. You can also help hold yourself further accountable by finding a friend to join you in these activities to not only spend time with a friend, but to also keep each other motivated. Another popular new year’s resolution is to “eat healthier”. Instead of the general goal of “eating healthy”, ask yourself what that means to you, and how it can be achieved. This might mean cooking more frequently, or even cutting out those late-night cravings. Set realistic intentions that will make you feel good about yourself!

6) Use mindfulness techniques to connect to the present. Setting intentions of how you want to feel also requires you to be more present in day-to-day activities. Mindfulness is about focusing on one thought or activity at a time. Practicing mindfulness techniques on a regular basis can help connect you to the present by actively focusing on your surroundings in the moment. Like any other practice, the more you do it, the better you get at it! Some suggestions on how to practice mindfulness include: eating meals without distractions such as the phone or TV, or try using your five senses to really experience the meal you are having and ground yourself to that moment. You can even try having 30-60 minutes of no devices first thing in the morning to use that time to stretch, meditate, read, or journal, all while connecting to your intentions for how you hope to feel the rest of the day. 

Focusing on intentions and considering how you want to feel when setting and maintaining healthy habits can be very empowering! Intentions can be a reminder that you have influence, control, and mastery over your life and choices. By focusing on self-care and intentions that boost your confidence, your productivity, your health, and your mental wellness, you are already on the path to making 2022 a year that works for you! If you are looking for some support on refining your goals and making positive changes for the new year, reach out to us today at hello@upsidertherapy.com to get started!