Connect with others who understand.

sign up log in
Resources
About myPHteam
Powered By

Setting Intentions for 2020 With Pulmonary Hypertension (PH)

Posted on January 02, 2020
View reactions

Eat healthier. Exercise more. Learn a new skill. Pay off a credit card. Many of us have made similar New Year’s resolutions over the years. And many of us have also ended January feeling like failures because we didn’t follow through perfectly. We may feel even more discouraged if our goal was linked to improving how we manage pulmonary hypertension.

The problem isn’t that we failed at our resolutions. The problem is that the resolution framework failed us. Resolutions are often binary goals - this or that. Yes or no. Either you went to the gym five days a week or you didn’t. Either you quit smoking or you didn’t. These yes-or-no set-ups can make us feel like losers if we don’t attain perfection. This is true for anyone, but black-and-white goals can be even more challenging when life with PH throws curveballs. Difficulty getting out in cold weather or other PH symptoms can make it harder to stick to a pulmonary rehabilitation routine or keep up a volunteer commitment. A trip to the emergency room may send New Year’s resolutions right out the window.

2020 can be different. Instead of choosing a New Year’s resolution, consider adopting a New Year’s intention. Intentions and resolutions have similarities - both require us to reflect on our lives and identify areas we’d like to improve. But intentions can be more successful than resolutions because they give us the space to work towards progress, even if progress isn’t a straight line.

Intentions account for the reality that habits don’t change overnight. Research from the European Journal of Social Psychology found that it can take people anywhere from 18 days to eight months to create a new habit. And that’s ok - the study found that missing opportunities to follow through did not prevent people from achieving consistency over time, provided they tried again. In other words, if you’ve had trouble sticking to a low-sodium diet to reduce swelling and shortness of breath, give it another go with a new attitude.

Here are some suggestions for setting intentions that can help improve your physical and emotional well-being:

Find Your “Why”
It’s easy to pick a resolution based on perceived shortcomings, but focusing on your why - your deeper priorities - can make a bigger impact on your overall quality of life. Here are some examples of transitioning from resolutions to intentions that reflect a deeper purpose:

  • “I resolve to lose 20 pounds” becomes “I intend to take steps to increase the energy I have to spend with loved ones.”
  • “I will attend every book club meeting” becomes “I intend to invest more time in my friendships.”
  • “I will pay off a credit card” becomes “I intend to focus my spending on the bills and purchases that have the greatest impact on my life.”
  • “I will stop gossiping” becomes “I will focus on the goodness in others.”

Once you’ve identified your deeper purpose, you can focus on small actions that will support your why. And when you stumble, you can return to your why to renew your motivation.

Lay the Groundwork for Change
Depending on your intention, you may want to consult your doctor to develop a plan. If you’d like to better manage shortness of breath, your doctor can help you decide which types of exercise or nutritional plans are best for PH and any other health conditions you might have. Your doctor may also suggest working with a physical therapist or nutritionist to support your New Year’s intention. With the support of your doctor and other health professionals, you can then research new recipes, find online exercise videos, or make plans with a friend to cook and work out together.

Build in Short-Term Rewards
Research from the University of Chicago and Cornell University found that people are better at sticking to goals that yield long-term benefits if they can experience short-term rewards along the way. For example, the study found that people were more likely to eat green vegetables if they found enjoyable ways to prepare them than if they only ate them for health benefits. You can apply the same principle to your intentions.

Show Yourself Compassion
Accept that you won’t always live up to your intentions. Be kind to yourself when you fall short. If you find yourself beating yourself up, stop and think about what you would say to a friend or other member of myPHteam in your shoes. Would you knock them down or encourage them to try again? Be as understanding and supportive to yourself as you would to someone else.

Do you have an intention for 2020? Share your hopes for the new year with other members on myPHteam.

Posted on January 02, 2020
View reactions
All updates must be accompanied by text or a picture.

Related articles

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease that’s not very well known amongst the ge...

6 Facts About PAH That Aren’t Well Known

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease that’s not very well known amongst the ge...
Medications for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can be costly, and many people with PAH wor...

5 Tips for Affording Your PAH Medications

Medications for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can be costly, and many people with PAH wor...
If you’ve been diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), you likely know that PAH is ...

Should You See a Doctor for PAH? 7 Questions To Ask Yourself

If you’ve been diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), you likely know that PAH is ...
Cold air and chilly weather can make a lot of people uncomfortable, but this climate presents par...

5 Ways To Manage Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in the Cold

Cold air and chilly weather can make a lot of people uncomfortable, but this climate presents par...
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a type of pulmonary hypertension (PH) caused by the narr...

6 Medical Specialists You Need on Your PAH Care Team

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a type of pulmonary hypertension (PH) caused by the narr...
Living with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can make everyday tasks and activities challeng...

9 Tips for Living With PAH

Living with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can make everyday tasks and activities challeng...

Recent articles

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from the righ...

Pulmonary Hypertension – An Overview

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from the righ...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a system of functional classes to describe the ...

Classes of Pulmonary Hypertension

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a system of functional classes to describe the ...
Symptoms of pulmonary hypertension (PH) vary for each individual and by how advanced the conditio...

Symptoms of Pulmonary Hypertension

Symptoms of pulmonary hypertension (PH) vary for each individual and by how advanced the conditio...
Restless leg syndrome (RLS) disrupts sleep for nearly 10 percent of Americans, which can turn bed...

Managing Restless Leg Syndrome With PH: 6 Things To Know

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) disrupts sleep for nearly 10 percent of Americans, which can turn bed...
It can be disconcerting to hear your heartbeat whooshing or thumping, over and over, in your ear....

7 Reasons Why You Might Hear Your Heartbeat in Your Ears With PH

It can be disconcerting to hear your heartbeat whooshing or thumping, over and over, in your ear....
Diuretics are a type of medication often used to treat edema, a form of swelling that’s common wi...

4 Things To Know About Diuretics for Edema

Diuretics are a type of medication often used to treat edema, a form of swelling that’s common wi...
myPHteam My pulmonary hypertension Team

Thank you for subscribing!

Become a member to get even more:

sign up for free

close