The First Step to Restore Well-Being

Setting your intention is the first step in accomplishing anything.  In his book, The Power of Intention, Wayne Dyer describes intention as a strong purpose or aim that is accompanied by a determination to produce a desired result. He then expands this description to: “Intention is an invisible energy field that is inherent in all physical form … and is a part of the nonmaterial world of Spirit.” Deepak Chopra states. “Everything that happens in the universe begins with intention.” Whether you eat a healthy food, wash your face, heal or talk to your friend, it all starts with intention.

You can set your intention to invite the power of intention to play an active role in helping you restore your well-being.  You effectively shift your mind and spirit when you take time to think about what you intend to do. When you create your own unique intention to do what it takes to feel well and restore your well-being you set the stage for your body and mind to heal.  When you set a clear intention you will be better able to you stay focused on it and dismiss unhelpful thoughts and actions that distract you from it. 

The Skill In Action

During my 15-year illness I studied constantly to learn how to help myself get well.  When I learned about the power of intention I set my intention to get well and to do whatever I needed to do to achieve this. One morning I wrote the following phrase in my journal over and over again, filling several pages: “I will get well.” Then I read the pages out loud to myself repeatedly. This is a combination of setting my intention and a powerful affirmation.

Then I paid attention to the content of my thoughts and my mindset to make sure my energy was high and aligned with my intention of getting well.  If I noticed my thoughts were negative or unhelpful, which they sometimes were, I changed the thoughts to positive, helpful and hopeful thoughts.  This is the Change the Channel skill. 

Next I created a plan for how I would approach getting well including consulting with leading medical experts, non-traditional medicine practitioners and energy healers.  I also learned to meditate and to keep my intention in mind during the meditation. I vowed to learn how to use food and movement to support healing.

At a professional conference on Neurofeedback I found that Fibromyalgia was being helped by Neurofeedback.  So I set my intention to use Neurofeedback to decrease my symptoms and then used it to finally clear the last remnants of my 15-year illness.

I’m certain that setting my intention to get well helped me attract all the things I needed in order to get well. And I got well!

Do This

The first step in restoring your well-being is to decide what that looks like for you and then to set your intention to create that reality.  What is your intention? Your intention can encompass all areas of your life.  For this exercise focus on those things that relate to and contribute to your physical, emotional and/or spiritual well-being.

Think about what you intend to create. Make a list of things you want that represent well-being to you such as improved health, comfort, well-being, remission, comfort instead of pain, energy instead of fatigue, family, love, safety, security, hope, contentment…

Set aside some quiet time to go within, calm your busy brain, and allow yourself to connect with your inner wisdom.  Ask for guidance on setting a powerful intention that encompasses all aspects of radical self-care and of what restored well-being will be like for you. Be still and silent and wait.  Be patient. This process will tap into your subconscious mind as well as the universal consciousness. Allow the answer(s) to appear on a blank white board in front of you in your mind. 

Notice how you feel when an intention shows up in your mind or on the white board.  Tune in on a deep level to check whether this intention is in line with what you truly want. If it is something that is unfamiliar or new to you and not on your list, spend some time with it to understand it and connect with it as it may be coming from your subconscious or collective consciousness of the universe and may be exactly what you need, despite feeling unfamiliar.

Write down the intention(s) you receive during this process. Compare them to the list you made before tuning within. Keep them in a journal or a computer document where you can add new intentions as they arise and keep track of your progress. Write new intentions on a post-it note and post it where you will see it daily to remind you to stay focused on what you intend.

You may discover you connect with a variety of intentions.  They might be as simple as intending to rest when you are tired today or as complex as to get completely well.  Over time it will be helpful to repeat this process and to set a array of intentions ranging from micro-intentions of things you intend to do/create/attract right now that will help you move forward and ending with broader intentions such as intending to be well enough to be able to return to work or to fully restore your well-being.

Aim high when you set your intention.  Remember it is impossible to make a dream come true if you don’t have a dream. Go for it.

How has setting an intention helped you restore your well-being?

Setting your Intention is one of the 52 skills and affirmations in my card deck, Radical Self-Care When You Are Ill. Check it out HERE.

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Categories: Anxiety, Articles, Chronic Illness, Depression, Health, Mindfulness for Health, Pain, Self-Care
Tags: restore well-being, Set your intention