The New Year Isn’t a Reset — It’s a Return

Gentle Intentions for Moving Forward

I love intentions but resolutions don't resonate. They are more often outcome based. For instance. I will exercise x times a week. Versus--intentions with offer bigger picture reflective space.

The new year doesn’t arrive asking us to become someone else. For many people, this season doesn’t feel clean or shiny. It feels tender. Reflective. Sometimes heavy. Sometimes hopeful in a way that doesn’t yet have language.

And that’s okay.

At this point in my life and work, I’m less interested in resolutions and more interested in relationship—especially the relationship we have with ourselves as we move forward.

Intention Is Not Self-Improvement

I think we’ve been taught that intention-setting is about fixing something. Becoming more disciplined. More productive. More healed. More “together.”

But true intention isn’t control.

It’s listening.

It’s choosing how we respond to ourselves when things don’t go as planned. It’s noticing where we tighten, where we override, where we abandon our own needs—and gently practicing something different.

Affirmations, when they’re honest and embodied, aren’t about convincing yourself of something you don’t feel. They’re about offering the nervous system a steady place to land.

A Few Words You Can Return To

You don’t need to say all of these. You don’t need to believe them perfectly. Let them be something you try on—like a coat you wear when the weather shifts.

• I am allowed to move at the pace my body trusts.

• I don’t have to rush my healing to be worthy of love.

• What I’ve lived through has shaped me, not broken me.

• I can carry grief and hope at the same time.

• I am learning how to choose safety—inside myself and in my life.

• Rest is not something I earn; it’s something I need.

• I can move forward without leaving myself behind.

  
  

If any of these bring up resistance, that’s not a problem. Resistance often protects something important. You don’t need to push past it. Just notice it and it will find a way through.

A Simple Way to Set an Intention

If you want a practice that doesn’t require a vision board or a five-year plan, try this:

Sit somewhere comfortable. Feel your feet on the ground.Take a slow breath out—then another.

Ask yourself quietly:What do I need more of this year?

Not what you should need.What you actually need.

Let one word arise.Softness. Steadiness. Courage. Space. Trust. Containment.

Then finish this sentence, gently:

This year, I’m practicing ____ with myself.

You can come back to that one sentence all year long.

Looking Forward

This practice—and this space—exists for people who are tired of being told they’re too sensitive, too slow, too much, or not enough.

Healing isn’t linear. Growth doesn’t need to be loud. And you don’t have to abandon who you are to move forward.

If this year feels like a beginning, a continuation, or simply a pause—you’re welcome here.

May this year be less about reinventing yourself and more about staying in relationship with yourself, even when it’s hard.

Wishing everyone near and far a beautiful year ahead!

Delia