A Healthy Outlook Newsletter from your MCPS Employee Assistance Program

Setting Intentions for the New Year

I have always loved the beginnings of things, moments you can use to mark fresh possibilities, but I've never been good at setting New Year's resolutions. I always make them so complicated — hello, SMART goals! — and try to encompass too many areas of my life. I end up with a long list of resolutions — promises I'm making to myself that I never seem to keep. Recently, I've shifted to setting intentions for the New Year, instead of resolutions, and it has made a huge difference in my mindset as I work toward my goals.

Intentions vs. Resolutions

The main difference between intentions and resolutions is in their breadth and specificity. While resolutions tend to be singular things you can check off on your to-do list or track — "I'm going to drink more water" or "I'm going to spend more quality time with my kids on the weekends" — intentions are more broad — "I'm focusing on my health"; "I'm prioritizing my family"; or even "health" and "family." Intentions can encompass multiple areas of your life, rather than zoom in on one piece, like resolutions. For example, you may set the intention to be more creative, which can apply to your work, your spirituality, your family, and your relationships, but a resolution to take on a new creative project at work only applies to one setting.

Why Set Intentions?

We know that very few people actually keep the resolutions they set for themselves. There are plenty of tips out there about how to be in the minority of people who succeed — ways to craft your resolution to perfection. But what if the issue is in the idea of the resolution itself? What if more specificity, discipline, and accountability isn't the answer?

Your goals for 2023 shouldn't feel like punishments. If you are constantly tracking, reflecting, re-prioritizing, adjusting, and strategizing, your resolution that was meant to improve your life is going to begin to feel like tedious work.

Setting intentions allows for more ease and play. If your intention is to focus on your health, you might try hiking a more challenging trail, buying yourself a new water bottle, finding YouTube videos of free yoga, or checking out a new cookbook from the library. You have more freedom to experiment and find what actually feels good for you — instead of holding yourself "accountable" to an arbitrary weight-loss goal, number of days per week to exercise, or glasses of water to drink. When you are enjoying something, you're much more likely to stick with it and to create habits that will last for life.

Intentions also give us the room to discover what really works for us. Maybe through your exploration of focusing on your health, you take a Pilates class and end up loving it so much you sign up for a class once a week.

How to Set Your Intentions

Keeping in mind what makes intentions different from resolutions, if you try to set an intention the way you would set a goal, you're setting yourself up for the same struggles.

Instead of brainstorming your goals for the year, or things you want to improve about yourself, make two lists: (1) your top five values and (2) five things you enjoy. Your lists might look something like this:

• Values
• Family
• Health
• Helping Others
• Beauty
• Nature

Things I enjoy:

• Long bike rides on the trail
• Mani/pedis
• Cooking brunch for friends
• Watching YouTube Makeup Tutorials
• Lazy Saturday Mornings

(Before we write intentions, consider how these could easily become strict resolutions. I will ride my bike three times a week. I will get a mani/pedi once a month. I will cook brunch for my friends every Sunday. I will watch and try two new makeup tutorials each month. If you only ride your bike twice or you skip brunch one Sunday, failure and shame creep in, making it next to impossible to form any kind of new habits or behaviors. That's the trap of resolutions!)

Next, think of ways that these lists might overlap, especially thinking about the ways you haven't made space for these things in the way you'd like to. Write out a few sentences. Use the present tense, as if you're already doing these things. Yours might look something like this:

• I'm spending time sharing nature with my family.
• I'm prioritizing my passion for all things beauty.
• I'm enjoying good food with good people.
• I'm resting.

How to Use Intentions Throughout the Year

Write your intentions down somewhere you will see them often. Share them with others or on your social media. It's also important to take time regularly to check in with yourself. Maybe you keep a note on your phone and keep track of different things you do that connect with your intentions. Maybe you write in a weekly journal or talk to your therapist.

You can also use your intentions to help prioritize your time in ways that make you happy and reflect your values. If your intention is to spend more time in nature, you might decide to bring your coffee out to the back porch, instead of sitting in the kitchen. Your intentions help to guide actions from a gentle, compassionate place — not a place of enforcement.

2023: The Year of Intention

Changing your mindset from resolutions to intentions takes a little reframing, a lot of patience, and a fair amount of humility. If you want to grow more holistically, shift deeply ingrained habits, and nurture yourself, then I challenge you to take the leap this year.

Article reprinted and modifed with permission by Robin Lanehurst, M.Ed., Original article can be found on Psychology Today

A Note on "New Year, New Me"

Although a new year can be an excellent time to reflect and set meaningful intentions for the year ahead, this time of year is typically marked by an increase in media messages promoting fatphobia and harmful fad diets.

Moving our bodies in joyful ways and nourishing our bodies with wholesome food can support both our physical and mental well-being. For anyone who has set intentions this year related to these areas, consider these resources on mindful eating and eating disorder awareness.

Do you often find yourself driving, working, watching television, and multi-tasking while eating? This behavior can be defined as Mindless Eating and may lead us to neglect our bodies' hunger and satiety cues. If you find you are Mindless Eating, consider Mindful Eating. Mindful Eating focuses on all aspects of the eating experience using all of our senses (seeing, tasting, hearing, feeling, smelling) and noticing emotional and physical responses before, during, and after eating. Research on Mindful Eating has shown that individuals tend to increase their intake of nourishing foods, increase the pleasure of eating, and improve body satisfaction. Here are some ways to incorporate Mindful Eating:

• Eat meals in a designated space away from distractions such as work, television and your phone.
• Take time to savor the food, noticing the color, flavor, texture, and even sounds made when chewing.
• Pick a new meal recipe to try and practice being fully present while shopping for ingredients and preparing the meal.

To learn more about Mindful Eating, you can visit https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/mindful-eating and https://psychprofessionals.com.au/mindful-eating/. For a fun way to practice Mindful Eating, try this Raisin Meditation Mindful Eating exercise from Mindfulness expert Jon Kabat Zinn:

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is February 20 - February 26, 2023. If you are struggling with disordered eating or body image concerns, please know the EAP is here to help connect you with support. You can contact the MCPS In-House EAP at 240-314-1040 (Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) and the external partner, Kepro EAP at 866-496-9599 (24/7/365). To learn more about eating disorders, visit https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/. You can also contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) helpline at 800-931-2237 (Monday - Thursday, 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. ET and Friday 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET).

Social Security Can Help You Plan Your Retirement

Social Security benefits are part of the retirement plan of almost every American worker. If you’re among the many people covered under Social Security, you should know what your future benefit may be. These monthly payments are likely to be an important part of your retirement income.

We base your benefit payment on how much you earned during your working career. Higher lifetime earnings result in higher benefits. If there were some years you didn’t work or had low earnings, your benefit amount may be lower than if you had worked steadily. Even if you never worked and did not pay Social Security taxes, you may be eligible for spouse’s retirement benefits. You must be at least 62 years old, and your spouse must already be receiving retirement or disability benefits.

Our online retirement portal at www.ssa.gov/retirement is a great place to start mapping out your retirement plan. For example, have you considered:

• What is the right time for you to start receiving your retirement benefits?
• What documents you may need to provide SSA for your retirement application?
• Which factors may affect your retirement benefits?
• What you should remember to do after you apply for retirement benefits?

You can use your personal My Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount to get an instant estimate of your future retirement benefits. You can also see the effects of starting your retirement benefits at different ages.

You may also be wondering about:

• Benefits for a spouse or children.
• How work affects your benefits.
• If you will have to pay taxes on your benefits.
• Medicare

Article printed with permission by the Social Security Administration. For more information, visit www.ssa.gov/retirement.

Coming Up Soon! We are excited to host a two-part webinar with the Social Security Administration on Social Security: With You Through Life's Journey. The first webinar is on Wednesday, January 25, 2023 and the second is on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Both webinars will be from 5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. To learn more and register, view the flyers by clicking on the buttons below.

¿Está Listo Para La Jubilación? El Seguro Social Puede Ayudar

¿Cree que puede estar listo para jubilarse y desea solicitar los beneficios de Seguro Social? Estamos aquí para ayudarle a tomar una decisión informada sobre cuándo solicitar los beneficios según sus circunstancias individuales y de familia.

¿Sería mejor para usted comenzar a recibir beneficios temprano con una cantidad mensual menor durante un período más largo? ¿O quizás esperar un pago mensual más alto y recibirlo por menos tiempo? La respuesta es personal y depende de varios factores, como sus necesidades actuales y futuras de dinero en efectivo, su salud y el historial de longevidad de su familia. Debe considerar otras fuentes de ingresos para la jubilación, incluso los planes que pueda tener para trabajar durante la jubilación. Lo más importante es que debe estudiar sus necesidades y obligaciones financieras futuras y calcular su beneficio futuro de Seguro Social.

La forma más fácil de calcular sus beneficios futuros de Seguro Social es con una cuenta personal my Social Security. Puede crear su cuenta gratuita en www.ssa.gov/myaccount (solo disponible en inglés). Con su cuenta, puede ver cuánto podría recibir cada mes según la edad a la que desea comenzar a recibir los beneficios.

Le exhortamos a que tenga en consideración todos los factores cuidadosamente antes de tomar la decisión crucial sobre cuándo comenzar a recibir los beneficios de Seguro Social. Esta decisión afecta la cantidad del beneficio mensual que recibirá por el resto de su vida y puede afectar los beneficios para sus sobrevivientes.

Ya sea que esté listo para conocer, solicitar, o administrar sus beneficios por jubilación, nuestro portal para los beneficios por jubilación le facilita la búsqueda de la información que necesita. ¿Cuán sencillo es? ¡Puede hacerlo desde su computadora, tableta e incluso su teléfono inteligente! En nuestro portal para los beneficios por jubilación, puede:

• Obtener nuestras publicaciones sobre la jubilación.
• Calcular sus beneficios con una de nuestras muchas calculadoras.
• Encontrar su plena edad de jubilación.
• Obtener información sobre los beneficios por jubilación para un cónyuge y miembros de la familia.

Usted y sus seres queridos pueden descubrir todos estos recursos en www.segurosocial.gov/beneficios/jubilacion.

Artículo impreso con permiso de la Administración del Seguro Social. Para informarse mejor, visite https://www.ssa.gov/es/retirement.

Ask the EAP

Q: My mother just moved in and my partner and I are struggling to care for her. I am constantly stressed about helping her and it feels like I don't have any time for myself. Is there anything the EAP can do to help?

A: There are a few options the EAP can offer that you might find useful. It can be overwhelming to care for an older parent, manage day-to-day responsibilities, and take care of ourselves. The EAP has a caregiver support group that is designed to provide helpful resources and establish connections among the many caregivers in our MCPS community. This group is open to all MCPS employees and their adult household members. You and/or your partner can sign up to receive emails about group events and request recordings of the previous educational webinars that have been held this school year. The EAP can also provide no-cost and confidential counseling to you. We could provide you with a list of possible community resources and organizations that can help with respite care and other services. Our external partner, Kepro EAP also offers family caregiving resources and referral services for older adults. Overall, challenges related to family caregiving are a common reason to contact the EAP. You are not alone and we are here to help.

Do you have a general question for the EAP you would like to see answered in A Healthy Outlook? Submit your question via email to EAP@mcpsmd.org.