We’re more than six weeks into the year, which means that if you set a New Year’s intention, you may have made some progress on it by now. But if you haven’t, you’re not alone. The start of February marks the day when most people have broken their resolution. In fact, the lack of longevity in resolutions is a big part of why we recommend setting intentions instead. With intentions, there’s no failure. Every day gives you a new chance to check back in.
In some cases, that might be simple. This blog post alone might be the reminder you needed to reset your focus and dive back into your intention. But the six weeks between when you set that intention and now might have changed things.
As you check back in, you might want to ask yourself these three questions about your intentions for 2022.
Do they still feel important?
Maybe you set an intention that felt very pressing in December but doesn’t bear the same weight now. You might have set an intention to eat less sugar since all of the holiday sweets had you hitting it pretty hard, for example.
Today, that focus on sugar might not feel as important. The great thing is that intentions can grow with you. Maybe you evolve your intention from being mindful of sugar to being mindful of how you eat in general. Or you might grow it even bigger, setting an intention to be mindful about how you treat your body overall.
Don’t be afraid to evolve your intentions as your priorities and needs change.
How can you learn from January?
If your intention still feels meaningful, take this time to reflect on how that intention has played into your life in the last six weeks.
Maybe you’ve been able to maintain focus on your intention. What has helped you? How have you been able to hold that space for yourself, and how can you continue to do that?
Or maybe you completely forgot about your intention until now. Don’t worry! You now have six weeks of information you can use. What didn’t work? What distracted you? What obstacles have been standing in your way?
Wherever you’re at with your intention today, take a moment to look back
How can you boost your motivation and focus?
Sticking with any intention isn’t easy. But we have a couple of tools that can help.
First, try to implement a gratitude practice alongside your intention. Say you set the intention to be more present-minded when you’re with another person. Feeling gratitude for the people in your life can help you deepen that intention. If you head to hang out with a friend feeling grateful for them, you’ll set yourself up to be present in your conversation with them.
Gratitude also gives you a chance to celebrate your successes. Each time you make a choice that supports your intention, tune into gratitude for yourself for making the effort.
Secondly, look for ways to keep your intention top of mind. This is an old-school trick to check back in, but it works: put a sticky note with your intention somewhere you’ll see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. You could put a repeating reminder in your phone, too, or start wearing a bracelet that will help you think of your intention each time you notice you have it on. Play around and find what works for you.
As you check back in, you might discover that you want more tools to work toward your intention or that you’re facing obstacles you want help to overcome. That’s where we come in. Our team of therapists offers support to work toward your intention for a healthier 2022.
