Making the Most Out of Setting Intentions

Intention setting can feel overwhelming for some and like simple goal setting for others. But in reality, true intention setting occurs somewhere in the middle. It’s more than coming up with a list of goals — it’s about figuring out a path forward in life while holding onto a purpose that aligns with your internal values.

Registered psychotherapist Natacha Duke, MA, RP, shares a walkthrough on how to set your intentions and why it’s beneficial for anyone at any age.

What is intention setting?

Intention setting is the mindful practice of identifying what’s truly important to you and then focusing daily on ways you can embody your core values. Unlike resolutions or specific goals, intentions are like flexible guideposts that help you align your mind and body. In fact, you’re never really finished with this practice once you get started.

“With intention, you can’t fail because it can be revisited and redefined as you grow, as you have experiences and as your sense-of-self shifts,” Duke explains. “It’s really about how you want to show up for yourself and what’s most important for you at any given moment of your life.”

This process of finding your purpose requires reflecting on who you are as a person and creating a compassionate framework for your own personal growth and purpose. Put plainly, if your goals or desires are mile markers, then setting your intentions is your way of figuring out how best to get there.

“This practice can really get us clarity on what we want, what’s purposeful for us and what’s important to us in this particular season of our lives,” she adds. “It can help clarify where we are and where we want to go.”

Examples of setting intentions

This practice looks different for everyone because it’s based on your own inherent sense of self and the purpose you have for your health and well-being.

But in most cases, intention setting begins with a broad self-reflective statement followed by purposeful action to live your life with those ideals in mind.

Other examples of intention setting can include things like:

• Committing to personal growth by learning new skills, dedicating more time to your favorite hobby or embracing daily positive affirmations
• Pursuing a life of gratitude by keeping a daily journal of all the things you’re grateful for and volunteering with an organization that aligns with your values
• Focusing on your health and wellness by setting out to be more physically active, more purposeful in what you’re eating and dedicating time to tracking your fitness
• Choosing to trust your emotions when starting new relationships, deepening connections with people you care about and finding ways to honor your authenticity

Benefits of intention setting

This practice can benefit your mind, body and relationships by:

• Helping you understand your values and desired ways of living
• Combatting cognitive dissonance
• Providing a defined framework for your personal growth and development
• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Offering a compassionate approach to self-improvement and self-acceptance
• Encouraging self-compassion
• Supporting mental resilience
• Promoting a proactive vs. reactive mindset

How to set intentions

You can follow through on this practice in a lot of different ways. You can wake up each day and determine how best you want to fulfill your purpose day by day. Or you can set your intentions as you’re faced with significant life changes and throughout the year.

When embracing this practice, these strategies can help:

• Reflect. Put pen to paper, create a vision board and make a list of what values are most important to you. Identify your core focus: What’s important right now?
• State your intentions. Identify where you feel you’re coming up short, define what you want to work on and determine ways you can tackle them.
• Practice daily. In everything you do, embody the purpose you’ve set for yourself — at home, at work, when you’re alone and with other people. Internalize how you want to live your life and then make that your reality from start to finish.
• Allow yourself to be flexible. Continue to revisit your intentions and adjust when you need to. Be kind to yourself and remember, you can’t fail as long as you’re showing up for yourself and your values.
• Share and seek perspective. Make your intentions clear with people who are important to you. This not only creates accountability, but it also allows others to show up for you in the way you need them to.

“Setting intentions is really about coming back to yourself, recommitting to your values and cultivating that in every facet of your life,” encourages Duke.