Now that we’ve waived sayonara to 2020, it’s time to craft our vision for 2021. We can set new goals at any time of the year, but there is something special about the energy surrounding the new year that makes it a great time to grab pen and paper and revisit our wellness intentions, give them a refresh, and set new ones.
Although 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, remember that progress is not lost. We can all continue to grow and build on the headway we made last year. Keep reading to learn what an intention is, tips on how to refresh your wellness intentions, and examples of intentions to spark your inspiration.
What is a wellness intention?
An intention is something you intend to do, like a promise to yourself. Unlike a goal, which is a specific outcome that you can tick off a list, an intention is ongoing, and it’s less focused on the destination and more focused on who you are being, what you are doing, or how you are feeling along the journey.
So a wellness intention then is an intention that relates to your wellness, whether it’s physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. For example, a wellness intention that supports your physical wellbeing can be: “I intend to move my body daily in ways that bring me joy.”
Tips for refreshing your wellness intentions
1. Choose intentions that support your goals
Goals and intentions work great together. Write out your big wellness goals for the year, such as eating healthier, working with a therapist, making more time for self-care, or experimenting with different holistic healing modalities. Then ask yourself what intentions would support you in achieving these goals.
For example, to achieve the goal of making more time for self-care, you can intend to prioritize yourself and do at least one thing per day to nourish yourself. Think of the goal as the destination you’re heading towards and the intention as the daily, consistent action that will help get you there.
2. Set intentions regularly
Another way to harness the power of intention is to set intentions daily around how you’d like your day to go. This allows you to choose and decide how you want your life to unfold. For example, if you know you have a busy day ahead, you can intend to stay calm and present no matter what. Or, if you have an important meeting, you can intend to show up as your most confident self. You can also set intentions weekly or monthly if there’s a bigger, overarching intention you want to focus on.
3. Keep your intentions top of mind
Life can get busy, so it’s helpful to place your intentions where you’ll be reminded of them regularly. You can do this by programming your intention to show up as an alarm or reminder on your phone a few times per day. You can write your intention on sticky notes and place them on your desk or bathroom mirror. If you want to get creative, you can make a graphic with your intention to use as your phone’s background. The more you’re reminded of your intentions, the more likely you are to stay on track.
4. Focus on one intention at a time
When it comes to setting new year goals and intentions, we can certainly get ambitious and perhaps put more on our plate than we can handle at once. If you feel overwhelmed, set yourself up to win by setting just one, small intention at a time. Once you feel like you’ve integrated that intention or no longer need it, set another one and so forth. So choose one wellness area that you feel like you most need as we dive into 2021, set one intention around it, and go from there.
Examples of wellness intentions
Setting the right intentions for you is an intuitive process. Only you know what you need to focus on and what will feel good. To help jump-start your inspiration, below find some wellness intentions to help you craft your own.
- I intend to make time to move my body daily in fun ways.
- I intend to connect more to my higher purpose.
- I intend to create more time for the things that light me up.
- I intend to spend more time with the people I love.
- I intend to nourish my body with healthy, delicious food.
- I intend to quiet the negative self-talk and choose to feel worthy instead.
- I intend to journal daily to support my mental health.