Zenworks Blog

A Year Full of Intentions

Welcome to 2021, a new year after a non traditional 2020. This past year may have left you feeling confused, frustrated, or anxious.  We encourage you to look back on 2020, and create a list of all the great things that came out of this unexpected year. Maybe more quality family time, the opportunity to explore the great outdoors, the chance to organize your home, but most of all the gratefulness you may have found in yourself after the adversity our nation faced. 

After a unique year, it’s important that we create positive intentions for 2021, at home and in the classroom. January is a great time to create a list of intentions to increase awareness and focus on as we manage the changes in our daily routines. 

We prefer to set intentions over resolutions, resolutions are goals for the future, whereas intentions allow us to focus on the present. When the focus is on intentional acts we allow ourselves the opportunity to focus on our current self while also focusing on the journey of creating our best self.

Here are a few ways we can remain intentional in our everyday lives as well as in the classroom. 

• Create a quiet, mindful space.  Allowing space for yourself and your children to be able to sit and be with their thoughts is extremely beneficial for self-reflection. 

• Delegate tasks. You may be busy working from home and your children may be learning remotely. Or, you may be teaching in the classroom with a long list of extra protocols and your daily tasks may begin to pile up.  Delegate your children/students age-appropriate tasks to keep them busy and engaged. Children enjoy feeling helpful, needed, and included, this is great for their self-esteem. In return, it will help you out!

• Allow yourself time each day to stretch while focusing on your breathing. Stretching and controlling your breath are both important components to healthy, mindful living.  Take brief breaks during your workday and during classroom time to incorporate techniques. Check out our YouTube channel and Brain Break videos for short techniques you can incorporate into your daily routine. 

• Encourage activity in your everyday lives.  Be intentional about taking the dogs for a walk, bundling the kids up for a winter walk, parking a little further away from the grocery store door, or attempting a new workout plan. Challenge the kids with a quick game of hide and seek, play “the floor is lava”, or encourage a game of kickball or tag at recess.  Get yourselves and your children up and moving. Research shows that short physical activity breaks in the classroom improved students behavior increasing the effort they put into their activities as well as their ability to stay on task. 

Take a moment, self reflect, write down your intentions for 2021. 

Happy New Year!