The temperatures are cooling off, the kids are back in school, and things are still chaotic but more of a routine chaotic. It must be fall—the season of cooler temps, school routines, and cozy vibes!
The change of seasons is always a fun transition. It marks the beginning of a new chapter for the year, a chance to regroup and start fresh. As we move into fall, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what we learned over the summer and set intentions for what we want out of the season ahead. Setting intentions for fall is a crucial part of our self-care journey for the second half of the year. With half the year behind us, it’s an opportunity to assess how we’ve been caring for ourselves and make adjustments if needed. Our calendar may be getting more routine, but it’s just as chaotic as ever with the ramp-up of school and all the holidays from Halloween to New Year’s. Before you know it, it’ll be August again!
Below, I’ll share some tips for busy moms—the moms on the go, the multitasking masters. If this sounds like you and you’re ready to learn how to prioritize yourself this fall, keep reading.
What Are Intentions?
“Aren’t ‘intentions’ just the new-age term for goals?” you may be asking. But the truth is, no, they aren’t. Intentions are like goals, but they are not goals.
When you set a goal, you set an outcome. For example, “My goal is to cook dinner 5 nights a week,” or “My goal is to run a 5k in 30 minutes,” or “My goal is to save $500.” A goal is an outcome you can measure—something you can look back on to see if you’ve met it or not.
When you set an intention, however, you’re more focused on the journey. It’s about the process and the mindset needed to reach the outcome, rather than the outcome itself. For instance, if your goal is to cook dinner 5 nights a week, your intention might be, “I intend to prioritize planning and preparing meals that bring us together as a family, even on busy days.” Instead of focusing solely on cooking dinner 5 nights a week, your focus shifts to prioritizing meal planning and preparation to foster family bonding. Intentions are about changing behavior, rather than just reaching an outcome.
By shifting our approach from setting goals to setting intentions, we remind ourselves why we’re doing what we’re doing. Meal planning and preparation can get old fast for me. Being committed to cooking from scratch takes time and patience. But by focusing on the intention I’ve set, it reminds me that I want to prioritize cooking at home most days because I want to bond with my family. I want to build a strong family foundation, and this is a meaningful way to do it.
Simple Tips to Set Intentions for Busy Moms
Create a Daily Ritual:
Do something small for yourself every day—no more than 30 minutes. Make it a part of your routine. While you’re eating breakfast, take a few moments to be in the moment. Really taste and enjoy the food you’re eating; notice all the flavors. At lunch, take a moment to journal—draw something that brings you peace or describe a relaxing scene. In the evening, savor a cup of warm tea while you reflect on the day, embracing everything that went right.
Embrace Seasonal Self-Care:
The new season brings new sounds, smells, tastes, sights, and textures. It’s a time to bring new awareness to our senses. Take a short walk to admire the changing leaves and hear the crunch under your feet. Or curl up with your favorite flannel blanket beside a campfire and get lost in a good book. With so many vegetables coming into season, try a new recipe and fill your home with warm, cozy scents and your belly with comforting, nutritious food. Whatever it is you like to do in the fall, it doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming. Not everyone finds peace at a spa or nail salon—and that’s okay!
Set Boundaries:
This one is particularly tough for me, but I’m constantly working on it. I need to hold the boundary not only with my family but with myself. I’ve told myself I need 20 minutes of quiet time each day—20 minutes where the kids are doing something independently, chores are done, the TV is off, and it’s before my husband finishes work. How many times have I actually done that in the last six months? Probably fewer than I’d like to admit. But it’s so important to hold that boundary. If we don’t, we get overwhelmed and burned out faster, and we might even start to feel resentful of our family because we’re always putting others’ needs above our own. That’s no way to live and not the example we want to set for our children.
Reflect and Adjust Weekly:
Self-care is a relationship with yourself, and just like every relationship, it needs to evolve to meet us where we are in life. What I did for self-care two years ago isn’t necessarily what I do now, and that’s perfectly fine! It’s important to reflect on your week and see what worked better than other things. If you find practices that worked and you enjoyed, great! You now have tools in your self-care toolbox. If something didn’t work out well, that’s great too! You’ve learned something about yourself. Reflect on why those things didn’t work—maybe it was the time of day, maybe you’ve outgrown that activity, or maybe it was a suggestion that just doesn’t resonate with you. All of these reasons are fine and valid. Self-care and personal growth are about growing in your relationship with yourself, and we shouldn’t keep things around that aren’t helping us.
Involve the Family:
Talk about setting intentions with your family. Continuing with the intention of having family meals, discuss with your family how they can help. If you’re planning and preparing the meals, someone else can set the intention to clear the table after dinner to allow more family time in the evening. Or your spouse/partner might set the intention of finishing work at a certain time to prioritize family bonding over dinner. The goal of making dinner at home 5 nights a week can become a family goal, with each person setting their own intentions to support that goal.
Making Intentions Stick
Start Small:
We all start at the beginning. To avoid overwhelming yourself, start with one intention. Focus on one thing you can change. You don’t need to change everything at once—there’s a reason they’re called baby steps.
Be Kind to Yourself:
This is the most important reminder! We’re human. We have good days and bad days. We have high-motivation days and zero-motivation days. It’s okay if you ended up making dinner 4 nights instead of 5 or if you used canned green beans instead of fresh. It’s fine, I promise. The key is that you wake up the next morning ready to try again. Reflect on it and make the changes you need. You’ve got this!
Use Visual Reminders:
We’ve all heard “out of sight, out of mind.” I know, for me, if it’s not in my face constantly reminding me, it’s easier to leave my intentions and goals behind. It can be as simple as a sticky note on the bathroom mirror, setting a calendar reminder on your phone, or laying out your clothes the night before. As long as it makes sense to you, anything can be used as a visual reminder of what you’ve set for this season.
Conclusion
Summer is coming to a close, and fall routines are setting in. As we transition into this new season, let’s set manageable intentions, focusing on the journey rather than the destination. Let’s give ourselves grace and understanding when we falter, and the strength to look within to make changes for success. You’re not alone on this journey—subscribe today and follow me on social media to join a community of moms walking this path together!
Check out the resources page—and your inbox if you’re a new subscriber—for tools to help you succeed in this new season of the year and life.
