These are not easy days, to say the least. But one thing that really helps me is to start each day by setting an intention.

What does that mean? Well, I might say to myself, “Today, I will take a few deep breaths.” Or, “I will keep my eyes on the road.” Or, “I will be kind to myself.” Intentions can be abstract or concrete. They can help you study, close your eyes, or stretch your arms to the ceiling a couple of times a day. They can let you stay in bed, ask for a back rub, take a long bath. Intentions are multi-purpose, which is an essential part of their charm. I weave them into the fabric of my days, and they make my weeks more interesting, resilient, even productive. The possibilities are endless.

I was first introduced to the idea of setting an intention by my friend and fellow yogi Mel. Mel is full of heart, full of bravery, full of smarts and, yes, full of intention. The first thing I ever heard her say on this subject was that it’s good to “set an intention” for your yoga practice each time you start. I had heard other people say that, too. I ignored them. But you ignore Mel at your own peril. So I smiled, nodded blankly, and tried to act like I knew exactly what she was talking about. Oh yeh, an intention, good idea. Yeh, definitely. Smile.

And that is how setting an intention got onto the list of things that I intended to do more often but, like many other things, ended up lower on the priority list than I intended. But I do get up and out of bed every morning, and I often counsel patients to link a new behavior to an established one, so I got this idea that I would try to “set an intention” before I went to bed each night or, barring that, in the morning before I got out of bed. The first few days were not very good. I really had no idea what I was doing, but I carried on. Yes, I am like that.

After a week or two, I actually started to feel like it was making some kind of difference. It got easier, and I liked it. Some days my intention was frankly lame, but it was always the best I could come up with, so I went with it. I also had a couple of intentions that came decorated with bells and sparkles and I knew it right away, so those made up for the lame ones. After a month or two I was in the groove. I understood what an intention was, and I was setting them almost every day.

One day, I said, “Today, I will revolve around my own axis,” and that day, of all days, I witnessed an adult meltdown. I observed and even assisted with a drink of water, but I continued to revolve around my axis. I stayed in my own orbit. Revolved around my own axis. Not the axis of the meltee. I did not take on any of the afflicted’s momentum. Of all the intentions I’ve ever set, that one is still my favorite.

Though not all my intention-setting experiences have been what you would consider positive, I cannot say I haven’t learned anything from the bad ones. Once, coming up empty, I decided that “I will be open to learning.” It seemed harmless enough. When I got to work my computer had crashed through the night, leaving not a trace of the potentially career-defining document I was sure I’d saved. That left me feeling a little burnt and crispy around the edges, and I resolved never to set that particular intention again. Be careful what you wish for, you might say.

No one could have explained this to me; I think you just have to figure it out for yourself as you go. But I was starting to see that setting an intention can really make a difference. I decided to begin collecting some of my intentions. Feel free to use some of these to get things flowing, but then I would encourage you to make some of your own.

We have a long winter ahead of us, and possibly a long year after that, and I am hoping that an intention or two will help to make things just a bit easier. Try a couple of these to get started:

I will put one foot in front of the other.

I will keep my feet on the ground.

I will be patient with myself.

I will be kind to myself.

I will be “self-ish.”

I will be the axis around which I revolve.

I will revolve around my own axis.

I will fill my own space.

I will dance in my mind and my kitchen.

I will pay attention. (I call this one “the attention intention.”)

I will be a big red circle. (I have no explanation for this.)

I will put my money where my mouth is. (I made this one after I broke a crown.)

I will maintain my equilibrium.

I will be open to new ideas.

I will take a deep breath before I decide what to say next.

I will move before the day warms up.

I will warm up before the day moves on.

I will maintain my flexibility.

I will try again.