The Power of Intention

How to Set the Tone for 2026 Without Burning Out by February

As we turn the corner into a new year, you might feel the quiet pressure to set goals, start hitting the gym, improving your diet, choosing your word of the year, organize every drawer, and somehow transform overnight into a more productive, healthier version of yourself. "New year, new you" messages flood our feeds, pulling us toward drastic resolutions and rigid routines.

Let’s slow that down.

January isn’t a race. It’s a rhythm. A pause. A chance to ask:

What really matters to me right now?

What do I want to feel more of in 2026?

And maybe most importantly: What am I ready to stop carrying?

Lasting transformation doesn't come from pressure. It comes from alignment.

What I've Learned About Intention (the hard way)

As a hematology nurse practitioner, integrative healer, and mom of three, I’ve had my share of Januaries where I tried to do too much, too fast. I’ve mapped out elaborate goals, color-coded schedules—and found myself in the same cycle of fatigue by February.

What’s shifted for me is this: I no longer aim to crush the new year.

I aim to co-create with it, understanding the power of aligned intention (and manifestation) and am sure to listen to my body along the way.

Intentions don’t demand perfection. They create a gentle focus—a way of tuning your energy, your time, and your care toward what actually nourishes you. They invite you to lead with awareness instead of urgency.

The Science Behind Intentions

Setting intentions isn’t just a feel-good practice, there's actually some science behind it too!

🧠 Your reticular activating system (RAS) filters what you notice and pay attention to (similar to how Instagram's algorithm works!). Set a clear intention, and your RAS starts scanning your environment for things that match it (cues, opportunities, and info that align with your goal). Your brain literally begins reorganizing to support your focus.

💓 When you pair your intention with breath or heart-focused practices, like heart-brain coherence, studies show it can reduce cortisol (stress hormone), enhance clarity, and improve immune function. Your body starts to work with your vision.

And when you repeat it daily—even a simple 30-second practice—your neural pathways strengthen, and the intention becomes your new default.

A Story from Clinic

A young woman with sickle cell once told me: “I don’t need to be told to push harder. I need someone to help me pace myself without guilt.”

Her words stuck with me. So many of us, whether managing an illness or just the expectations of life, are taught to ignore our limits. But true healing begins when we start listening to what the body is whispering, before it screams.

That’s why I teach my patients (and myself) to start small. To build rituals instead of routines. To anchor intentions in how we want to feel, not just what we want to do.

A Better Way to Begin

Here’s the approach I’m using this year. It’s not about perfection. It’s about rhythm, resonance, and showing up with intention.

🌿 Step 1: Ground + Tune In

Before you write anything down, pause.

Place a hand over your heart or belly. Breathe in slowly.

Ask: What do I most want to feel this year?

It might be calm. Connected. Creative. Safe. Confident. Let it be simple.

✍️ Step 2: Choose Your Guiding Intention

Write a simple intention starting with “I am…” Examples:

• I am restoring my energy.

• I am choosing peace over pressure.

• I am building slow, lasting strength.

• I am honoring my pace.

  
  

Make it feel like a truth, not just a wish.

🔁 Step 3: Reinforce + Anchor It

Repeat it daily. Speak it aloud in the shower or while brushing your teeth. Write it on your mirror. Set a notification on your phone. Say it over your tea, while applying lotion, or during a walk.

This is where soul meets nervous system... and these tiny rituals add up!

What Makes Intentions Stick?

✅ They’re felt before they’re written

✅ They’re small enough to live inside your daily rituals (build it into your day - ie deep breathing + intention while brushing your teeth in the morning)

✅ They’re based on how you want to feel—not just what you want to accomplish (that's the key to manifestation, focusing on the desired feeling more than the actual outcome!)

This Isn’t About a “New You”

You don’t need a new identity to begin 2026 with intention. What you need is to return to your inner compass, tune into your body's sensations, and actually start to listen to the whispers.

So here’s your permission slip:

To enter 2026 gently.

To honor your energy.

To stop measuring your worth in output (that's a major one for me!)

And to choose one intention that supports the version of you that’s already worthy of love, healing, and all the good things in the world.

Setting an intention isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about clearing what no longer nourishes you—and building from a place of grounded self-respect.

Want Support?

If you're craving more grounded, science-backed tools, join my 8-week frequency series aka the Frequency Reset starting January 2026! HERE is a FREE guide to get started now :)