Intention Setting
Updated: Nov 5, 2020
Morning mayhem. Many of us wake up and spend our mornings this way. In total mayhem. We fly out of bed, scramble to get ready, get our children ready, breakfast, make lunches, the list of things we do in the morning as we rush to get out the door is unruly. So much so in fact, it made me wonder if anyone had studied it. Sadly, my research came up dry. When we start our day this way – it is easy to then carry on through the day with the same chaotic energy – leading into busy days which turn into busy nights.
During one of these mornings, have you ever paused for just a second to evaluate how you are feeling? Or thought about what head-space you want to be in as you move through your day? This is how simple setting intentions can be – and they can set the whole tone for your day into a more thoughtful, calm, positive direction.
The Power of Setting Intentions
Setting intentions is a simple yet powerful way to reduce stress and take control of your day. An intention is an act of identifying what physical, emotional, maybe even spiritual state you want to be in for the day. Some sample intentions might be to be happy for the day, to bring light into someone else’s day, to not be rushed everywhere you go, etc.
While intention setting can indeed be this simple, it's important not to confuse it with setting goals or objectives. Intentions are not goals and do not need to be measured – such as losing 5 pounds or trying to run a mile.
Integrating Intention Setting into Your Day
As we get going in the morning, if we don’t pause to think about how our day will go but rather let it just happen to us – then mayhem is likely to occur. However, if we take just a moment to reflect on how we’d like our day to go and put that intention to the foreground of our minds – then you will start to notice you have calmer, more meaningful days.
We recommend identifying a time in your morning to set your intention. Maybe it's when you first wake up before you roll out of bed, as you take a moment in the shower, or maybe as you take that first sip of your morning coffee.
Of course, intentions will have a more profound effect when you turn them into a truly habitual part of your routine which usually takes 27 days. Use your StressWise app (launching soon) to keep up the daily practice.
