The Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office and Michigan Medicine’s Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience present a new monthly article series on mental health topics.

What’s your New Year’s resolution? 

You’ve probably heard this question many times over the past few weeks. Often, these resolutions are like a promise to yourself about the positive changes you want to make in your life. Things like starting better habits for your physical or mental health, or improving the ways you connect with people in your life. Perhaps you may have set multiple resolutions - and already set them aside. You’re not alone!

“While the reason for a resolution is positive, reframing the way you think about it can be very helpful,” says Cassie Garety James, Ph.D., workplace mental health interventions program manager for Michigan Medicine. “Setting an intention to move towards a meaningful change can help you feel encouraged by the efforts you make along your journey.”

Shifting Your Mindset to Setting Intentions 

Setting an intention is less restrictive than a resolution and leaves more room for adjustment. It simply means focusing on the direction you want to go right now, instead of whether you succeed or fail at reaching a certain goal in the future. Intentions are also more about what you want to do, not what you want to avoid. We often have many things to balance in our lives and sometimes, we may lose focus. 

“Setting intentions means you can always come back to your goals, no matter how much time has passed,” adds Garety James. “There's no ‘win or lose’ with an intention, just a kind reminder of where you want to go and an open invitation to head in that direction.”

Tips for Setting Intentions

• Find a value or principle that is important to you like "patience," "kindness," or "taking care of my body," and write it down somewhere you can see it.
• Think of one or two situations that happen often where you can practice your intention. The next time it happens, remember your intention and see how it goes.
• Share your intention with a trusted person who will support you.
• When you forget about your intention, see it as a chance to come back to your intention right then and there, instead of worrying about the past or future.

Need More Support? We’re Here for You

If you’d like to learn more about mental health services or are interested in support, counselors are available at no charge to you for confidential services. If you work on an academic campus, reach out to the Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO) at 734-936-8660 or via email at [email protected]. If you work at Michigan Medicine, reach out to the Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience (OCWR) by calling 734-763-5409 or sending an email to [email protected].