Shall we go about New Years resolutions a little differently this year? How about we think about setting healthy intentions for 2024, instead of setting ourselves a list of resolutions that we may not end up achieving and then beating ourselves up over it?
What is the difference between intentions and resolutions?
Many question what the difference between resolutions and intentions is, so let us clarify. Resolutions are more like goals on a checklist, for example, I want to lose 3kg this year. Whereas intentions are broader and encompass multiple aspects of life, for instance, I want to focus on my health this year. This could include physical activity, healthy eating, mental health, and wellbeing. More examples of what intentions could look like include:
- I’m focusing on my career.
- I’m prioritising my health and happiness.
- I want to create a better balance between work and personal life.
Why set intentions?
As we briefly discussed earlier, very few people actually stick to their resolutions all year round. Your goals for 2024 should not feel like a punishment. If you have to constantly track, reflect, and re-prioritise or adjust your resolutions as you go along the year it is going to feel like tedious work.
Setting intentions allows for more ease and room to play around with how you want to achieve your set intention. For example, if your intention is to focus on your health more, you could try going on daily walks, buying yourself a new water bottle to drink more water, finding an at-home workout video, and much more. You have more freedom to experiment with what works for you and your health. This will feel better than holding yourself accountable to numerical goals of weight loss for instance. When you enjoy doing something you are more likely to stick to it, and not feel sad when you have to do the task. It may even be the part of the day you end up looking forward to most.
How to set intentions
Sit down, clear your head, and think about what you want your life to look like this year. Give yourself some time to imagine it. Once you have had some time, try put what you want to focus on this year in a sentence. For example, I am prioritising my self-care this year. If you can, try summarising each of the sentences you come up with into one word that you can focus on, for instance, self-care.
Support at One You
Our Health Coaches here at One You are well trained to support you achieve the health and wellbeing intentions you set yourself for 2024. All you have to do is sign-up using our referral form https://thrivetribe.typeform.com/to/YAENFT5v?typeform-source=oneyou-rbkc-westminster.org.uk or by calling us up on 020 3434 2500, to get 12-weeks of FREE personalised support.
