Society would have us believe a busy life is a successful one. Our society also shows us that the external is more valuable than the internal. Yet we live in a world where our mental health problems are sky-high. But we have a choice. We can control our lives with intention or allow fate to handle things.
If you think intentional living sounds confusing and complicated, you're probably not alone. It does sound quite daunting, but it's a way of life and you can use it to create a better one. You have maybe seen it discussed online or even overhead people discussing the concept. It's all over the place these days, but what on earth does it mean? What does intentional living look like? Can anyone do it?
Of course! It's simply living your life with purpose. But before you can do that, you must identify what you want your life to look like. The heart of intentional living when you reduce it down to its basics is about living a life that reflects your values and beliefs. It's about directing your life and being proactive instead of being reactive, always fighting against the latest cataclysm.
Living with intention looks different for each person because everyone has different values. For you, it could mean taking long walks with your partner because you prioritize quality time and movement. For your friend, it could be scheduling their favorite activities because their highest value is self-care. Maybe another friend prioritizes spirituality, so they make a habit of going to church every week.
Why does it matter?
There are plenty of benefits to living intentionally. First and foremost, when you live a life of intention you respect your values and beliefs, which has two major interlinked benefits. Intentional living helps improve your mental health and one of the reasons for this is it is an excellent stress management tool.
If you are living a life with a purpose that reflects your deeply held beliefs, you won't need to stress out over every decision because your values act as your north star. And a stress reduction is positive for your mental health. You'll also be much happier, partly because you're less stressed and enjoying better mental health, but also because you will feel more inner peace from the manner with which you are living your life.
All those feed into intentional living. It’s about making conscious choices and acting in a way that aligns with your values. Living with intention gives you control; it helps you show up every day and tap into your inner power. It supports present living by defining the life you want and delivering on it by taking intentional action. It can be profoundly satisfying because it helps you lead a fulfilling life.
What does it look like?
It's important to know that even though it's a powerful choice to make, living intentionally won't bring you endless joy or peace. It isn't always easy, particularly at the start. It will probably be awkward; it might feel challenging. But isn't any major change in your life the same? The more you persevere with it the more it will become second nature.
Why is it so hard at the beginning? Many of your values and beliefs will be a consequence of your upbringing. For many people, it's difficult to process that these values you absorbed from your culture, family, or religion no longer serve or resonate with you. You need to give yourself the space and grace to deal with this at your speed.
The world is all about distraction and that can easily tear you from your intentional journey. You can't let anything deter you from the journey you choose for yourself. You need to learn how to shut out or at least turn down the noise.
Then you need to identify your values because they are the foundation of intentional living. If you already have your values nailed down, then you're ahead of the game. It's worth taking the time to understand why your values are important to you and what activities tie into them. Do they share anything in common?
So, what does intentional living look like? It looks different for everyone, but there are certain tips you can act on regardless of the values that best reflect your beliefs.
Create a morning intention.
Intentional living looks like living your values. It means taking action that aligns with those values and making decisions that reflect your beliefs. It's an everyday practice, and if you decide out of alignment, you can always do better tomorrow. It takes time to get into the swing of things, but if you seek to stay true to your values, you're doing the best you can.
So, how do you take an intention and break it down to daily living? You can start with a morning intention – it can be a sentence or just a few words. It might be a reminder of how you would live to make choices or behave. Make this part of your morning routine and tie it into a ritual like meditation. It will become as routine as a morning cup of coffee in no time.
Awareness and focus.
You don't have to start over, change your entire life, or walk away from everything you know to live intentionally. It’s about living your life with awareness. You can bring intentionality to how you live currently. For example, while you prepare dinner, try to tap into all your senses. When you run errands or do chores try to connect the why.
So, you're washing dishes, so you can provide meals for yourself and your family. You're hanging laundry, ironing, and cleaning to care for yourself or create an organized and peaceful home. You can also pay more attention when you move your body – notice how it feels. And when you exercise, you can tie it into an intention such as choosing yoga to feel more deeply connected to your physical self.
Small variations like this are a useful way to reframe and refocus.
Small changes.
You can create small changes that are done habitually and will eventually make a large impact. Scale back on social media use before bed. Create a morning ritual to connect to yourself and savor quiet time rather than rushing about stressing. Schedule a weekly call or meet up with friends to nurture your relationships.
Recount your day.
You begin your morning with intention, and you should end the day similarly. Bedtime is an excellent opportunity to recount the way your intention contributed to your day. You may, or may not choose, to journal this; you can simply think about them. If your number one value is compassion, then you can quietly think about all the times you were compassionate throughout the day.
What do you want in life?
If that isn't enough to convince you to live an intentional life, check out these 5 additional reasons.
1 | Presence
Living with awareness forces you to focus on the here and now, which means you notice what brings you joy and what doesn't.
You begin to get a grip on what lights your fire and fuels your motivation. It naturally makes you more present and the more present you are, the more awareness you develop.
2 | Improved relationships.
Living intentionally obliges you to take responsibility for what you can control and let go of what you can't. Improved relationships are a natural by-product. Intentional living forces accountability.
3 | Healthy boundaries.
Self-confidence is key when it comes to establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries. You feel comfortable enough to say no when you're running low on time or energy.
You stop feeling guilty about saying yes to the things that serve you. You start to recognize toxic relationships that drag you down. That's the perfect recipe for setting and maintaining boundaries that serve you well.
4 | Improved mental health.
By shining a spotlight on your mental health. You notice just how important it is to take care of your emotional wellness.
Self-care is an important component of good mental health. The trickle-down effect touches every other part of your life.
5 | Improved physical health.
Stress is one of the biggest risk factors for poor health.
Intentional living is an excellent way to reduce your stress levels. Focusing on the present helps block out a lot of stress you have about past mistakes and your future.
With the improvement in your mental health, your physical health is bolstered.
My final thoughts.
Intentional living is a holistic lifestyle and once you start to embrace it, you will begin to see all the benefits listed above. I believe your objective in life should be to serve your values and pursue joy, living intentionally is a perfect way to unlock that.
So, what are you waiting for? Give it a try. Begin living intentionally today.
For more information, please read these posts.
An Intro To Intentional Living How Not To Live On Auto-Pilot
Create An Intentional Life Using These 10 Tips
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