My December Intentions: Choosing How I Want to Live in 2026

Hi again — it’s Diana from Healthy Seniors.

December has always felt special to me. Yes, it’s the joy of the holidays, but it’s also something deeper. It’s that moment when one year ends and another one begins — a quiet pause between the two. A time to look back with gratitude, look forward with hope, and remind myself that I get to choose how I want to live.

The cold mornings, the slower evenings, the softer pace of everything… it all creates this little pocket of space where I can finally hear myself think. Not about goals or checklists, but about the kind of life I want to move toward.

And instead of another habit challenge this month, I’m focusing on intentions — simple, honest ones for 2026. Not goals. Goals feel like deadlines and pressure. Intentions feel more like direction — a way of showing up. They’re about how I want my days to feel, not what I have to accomplish. That’s the kind of intentional living I want to lean into.

I decided to share my intentions for 2026 — partly to keep myself honest, but also because I hope it inspires you to consciously think about what you want from the year ahead.

So here’s what I’m choosing to focus on in the new year:

1. Take better care of myself — in small, real, everyday ways

This isn’t about becoming “better” or more efficient. It’s about noticing how I feel and choosing what supports me. When I eat well, when I stretch, when I go to bed earlier, when I take five minutes to breathe instead of pushing myself through another task — I feel grounded. I feel more like myself. I feel less scattered and more present.

And honestly, I want to be more offline. I want to choose reading over scrolling, quiet over noise, intention over autopilot. In the last few months, I started catching myself reaching for my phone way too often, even when I didn’t actually want or need anything from it. And the moment I realized how automatic that had become… I didn’t love that version of me.

So next year, I want more evenings with a book instead of another Netflix episode that leaves me buzzing. I want slow mornings, real rest, more space between thoughts — more of the things that make me feel grounded once they’re done, not just distracted in the moment.

2. Be fully present with the people I love

My kids are growing up so quickly it sometimes makes my chest ache. And my husband and I are both busy enough that it’s easy to slip into parallel lives instead of shared ones. I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I missed the small moments — the silly jokes, the quiet car rides, the warmth of sitting at the table a little longer after dinner.

So next year, I want to create more space for experiences, not just routines. Family time that feels intentional, not rushed. Conversations without half-thinking about my phone. Days where we choose to do something simple together just because it feels good.

I want to look back on 2026 and remember laughter, shared meals, little adventures, messy moments that turned into cherished memories — not just the busyness that filled the calendar.

And I want to be more intentional with my parents. It’s so easy to take that time for granted, but I don’t want to. I want to cherish the time we have because I know it won’t last forever. I want my kids to enjoy them, learn from them, and build memories that stay with them long after these seasons of life change.

I want our time together — all of us — to feel full and alive.

3. Create from joy, trust the process, and focus on what truly helps seniors

This community has become one of my favorite parts of my work. When I’m writing here or creating something useful, I feel grounded and purposeful. That’s the work that lights me up.

So in 2026, my intention is to create from a place of joy and trust rather than urgency and fear. I don’t want to chase algorithms or force myself into strategies that feel heavy.

I want to trust the process instead of rushing it. I want to write articles and build tools that actually help seniors in a real, practical way — things that cut through the noise instead of adding to it.

One of my strengths is simplifying things. These days, information is everywhere and it’s overwhelming. The real value comes from understanding what matters and making it easy to follow. That’s what I want to keep creating — clarity, support, and resources that genuinely make life easier for seniors and their families.

Every year, I usually reflect at the very end of December — looking ahead, deciding how I want to live the next year, setting my direction. But something about this community and these monthly challenges we’ve shared shifted that for me. They made me think earlier, pay attention earlier, and choose earlier.

So this time, I don’t want to wait until January. I’m starting now — and honestly, thank you. You’ve given me an extra month of intentional living. Here’s to a December that feels calm, nourishing, and real — and to beginning the new year already pointed in the right direction!

Your Turn

If you’re already thinking about 2026, what’s one intention that keeps coming up for you? Not a resolution — just a feeling or a direction you want more of next year.

I’d love to hear it.