Setting Intentions as a Couple: A Gentle Way to Begin the New Year Together
The start of a new year often brings a mix of hope and pressure. We want things to feel different , lighter, steadier, more connected…but we’re not always sure how to make that happen. For couples, the most powerful place to begin is not with goals or resolutions, but with intention.
Why Intentions Matter More Than Resolutions
Resolutions focus on fixing behavior. Intentions focus on shaping the emotional climate of your relationship. Instead of asking, “What should we change?” try asking, “How do we want this year to feel between us?”
When couples anchor their year in shared emotional intention, they create a foundation for change that feels supportive rather than pressuring.
How to Set Intentions as a Couple
You don’t need a formal process or a long worksheet. What you need is protected space and honest conversation. Here are a few prompts to guide you:
1. Reflect on the past year
What felt hard?
What moments brought you closer?
What patterns are you ready to soften or shift?
2. Name what you’re longing for
More ease?
More laughter?
More safety?
More time together?
Less conflict?
Less distance?
3. Choose 1–3 shared intentions
Examples:
We intend to slow down and protect time for each other.
We intend to respond with curiosity instead of defensiveness.
We intend to communicate more honestly, even when it’s uncomfortable.
These are not rules. They are touchstones, something you return to when life pulls you off course.
When Setting Intentions Feels Hard
For some couples, these conversations bring up grief, disappointment, or fear. You may realize you’re carrying different hopes, or that old hurts are still present beneath the surface. This doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re finally being honest. Often, this is where support can make a meaningful difference , not to “fix” your relationship, but to help you create safety, clarity, and forward movement together.
Begin the Year With Real Support
If you and your partner are longing for a steadier, more connected year and you don’t want to keep trying to figure it out alone, I created a workshop to support exactly this season of your relationship:
💛 From Roommates to Soulmates: 3 Keys to Emotional Closeness 💛
This workshop offers practical tools, emotional insight, and guided conversations to help you reconnect, soften stuck patterns, and move toward the kind of closeness you’ve been missing. Whether you’re feeling disconnected, overwhelmed by conflict, or simply wanting more depth and warmth in your relationship, this is a powerful place to start.
👉 Learn more and join the workshop here.
Let this year be the one where you stop surviving your relationship — and start truly living inside it.
