Renew, Re-set, Re-boot: Seasonal Intention-Setting
With the arrival of every new season, I find myself, again, appreciating the change of the weather as a great time to re-set, re-boot, and set new intentions. After so long dealing with the ramifications of COVID-19, a change of seasons and the weather brings an especially welcome change and an immense sense of relief!
Doing a seasonal reset simply means to pause each time the seasons change and to take a look at your life, goals, lists, health, and wellness. This natural seasonal transition provides a built-in and easy time to stop long enough to consider whether you are on the path you desire and take note of any changes you would like to make in your daily life. There is no need to over-think or over-complicate this moment. The change of seasons is a natural time to pause; take stock; and set new intentions.
Pause & Take Inventory
Completing a seasonal re-set every 3-4 months will allow you to take inventory of your life. In the midst of Covid and the everyday busyness of life, it is easy to forget what goals, intentions, and priorities you have previously set. If you pause only one time every year to write new year’s resolutions, it is easy to lose track of the plans you made in January.
Do the seasonal reset every few months and you will be much more inclined to make adjustments that actually help you move forward in productive and life-giving ways.
Set Intentions & Make Small, Actionable Changes
When you take inventory during a seasonal life reset, you can decide what should be changed and make simple and small changes. It is not necessary to make dramatic changes to your daily life. It is the result of the smallest of changes sustained over time that will make all the difference for growth. If you allow yourself to pause and remain open to what is possible, you will be amazed by what happens.
Focus on Health, Balance, and Overall Well-Being
Too often, we associate concepts like strict limits, harsh restrictions, diets, or self-control with the concepts of health. Instead, consider and associated the concepts of moderation and balance with the ideas of health and wellness. Consider what you can let go of today and what you could add to your daily life that will result in an improved sense of wellbeing and health. These questions can apply to food, nutrition, fitness, quiet-time, screen-time, reading, fun, play and more. Ask yourself what you could add and/or remove to any of these aspects of life to improve the quality of your health.
Next Steps:
Integrate some of these strategies for well-being into your daily life
1. Begin a daily gratitude practice
- Find a special journal to support your daily gratitude practice
2. Conduct a Seasonal Re-Set
- Find a simple digital printable to support a “Spring Cleaning of your Soul”
3. Create a Vision Board
- Use a large piece of tagboard or an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of construction paper to begin your creation of a Vision Board
4. Choose a Daily Intention
- Jot down a simple daily Intention as a way to begin a new daily intention-setting practice
~ In this blog, I write about various practices that I have found helpful to my personal and professional development which readers might integrate into their personal and professional lives. My hope is that this blog will support all readers, especially clinical social workers, clinical supervisors, and their supervisees, and therapy or coaching clients.