How Doctor Moms Can Shift Their Day with One Simple Practice

Episode 59: How Doctor Moms Can Shift Their Day with One Simple Practice

Have you ever had one of those days that should feel amazing, but somewhere along the way, it just falls apart?

You start with good intentions – coffee in hand, list ready, and the best of plans – yet, setting daily intentions for busy moms can feel like a distant dream when everything starts to slip.

The energy, the optimism… gone.

I get it. It happened to me just this week.

But what if I told you that one small shift could change everything?

Not by forcing a perfect day, because real life doesn’t work like that, but by planting the seed for how you want your day to feel before the world starts shouting at you.

Today, I’m sharing a simple practice that’s not fluffy and not futile. It’s rooted in neuroscience, mindfulness, and your own inner strength.

It’s powerful.

It’s doable.

And it just might be the secret you’ve been missing.

What to Do When Your Day Falls Apart: The Power of a Simple Intention

Ever have those days that start out with so much potential, but somewhere along the way goes haywire?

I’ll tell you what happened to me, see if this happens to you.

This week started off pretty great! I had a few days without scheduled anesthesia cases, so I had the freedom to sip coffee and work in my little office, which honestly feels luxurious at times, like now.

I have a long list of to-dos that fill my day and one or two that are always behind schedule. Well, on Monday and Tuesday, I tackled those stragglers and felt so productive!

Everything was falling in place, and my happiness index soared.

At the end of the second day of this productivity high, I reflected about how yes, this streak would end and that every day cannot be so rewarding. Statistically, I knew a slow day would come, just not so soon.

Wednesday arrived with the same basic ingredients, a non-workday, full night’s sleep and coffee in hand. But it was different. It was off.

My meditation was “meh” and as I turned to my computer, I was drawn into a rabbit hole of thoughts over a deep set, self-critical belief that I will forever need to work on, though is so much better now than years ago.

I was sucked into analyzing my thoughts about this self-criticism. It took time to allow myself to experience my feelings with self-compassion. It also took time to reprocess those thoughts with wisdom, once the gut-punch feelings subsided.

Later in the day, I was filled with self-reassurance of how normal that whole morning was because I’m just a human.

I finished the day so much more content that I started it even with multiple empty check boxes on my calendar.

But that didn’t matter – because it’s the average of all days that matter. Each day is a little swing up or down from the previous one. No big deal.

The reason for sharing my vulnerable Wednesday is to talk about my Thursday.

Today is this Thursday and during my short meditation I circled back to a practice that is so powerful, I wonder why I don’t use it every day!

That is the practice of setting an intention for the day.

This is not woo-woo stuff, this is setting your brain for a positive mindset to tackle the day.

My intention today?

Today I set my intention to say no to the things that drain me. That’s it.

I intend to avoid the thoughts and habits that drag down my spirit by inviting self-criticism and sapping optimism.

Morning Intentions Aren’t Fluff: The Neuroscience Behind Taking Control of Your Day

Setting an intention not a futile exercise. You are taking control of the day before it starts. Before the problems come flying at you or inner critical words creep in your thoughts.

It only takes a small step of picking an intention to take control.

It’s about deciding how you want to show up, no matter what the day throws at you. If you don’t pause and claim the energy you want to bring, the world decides for you.

It isn’t just some fluffy ritual, but a strategic move rooted in neuroscience and mindfulness.

Intentions work because they follow the laws of:

• Neuroscience: Choosing a path for your day requires conscious thought, and that activates the prefrontal cortex – the area of the brain that is responsible for planning and self-regulation.
  
• This is key because firing up this area helps you override automatic and reactive patterns. Intentional focus improves a top-down control over behavior.
• A second really cool area that is activated with setting a goal for the day is the reticular activating system (RAS) — the area that influences attention and perception.
  
• This means that simply thinking about how I wanted to say no to thoughts that drain my energy that day helped subconsciously guide my actions. The RAS primes your perception.
• Mindfulness: Mindfulness is about paying deliberate attention to the present thoughts and feelings without judging yourself. When you set an intention in the morning, you’re pausing to consciously decide how you want to show up for your day.
• An intention practice is mindfulness – but it’s mindfulness with forward motion. It’s mindful direction, not just mindful observation.

How to Set a Morning Intention That Actually Sticks

Today I reflected on yesterday, which was my most recent off-kilter day. I silently vowed to not let myself get derailed by the things that affected me yesterday. They drained my energy and creativity. They took away my usual sense of positivity and optimism.

What have you learned? What works for you? This can take a little reflection to see the patterns.

Today was easy for me as I just processed everything yesterday.

What do you want?  Setting daily intentions for busy moms can help you clarify what you truly want for today. What do you yearn for, your goals? Mine today was to say no to what drains my energy, like listening to my inner critic.

How about an intention to feel stronger. Now what? That’s a high-level request of yourself. So narrow it down to something specific that will help you feel stronger. Maybe it’s to move 10 more minutes than usual – like finding an excuses to go up and down stairs a few extra times.

Something I might do is challenge myself to a plank and see how long I last, then try it again the next day and the next. Before long the seconds will go up!  Pick something that makes you feel like a rockstar. Would seeing more biceps definition be incredible? Or maybe squatting down without struggling to get back up?

I think you get the idea – find a small action in your intention.

My high-level intention is to avoid things that drain me, but how? I say “no”. That is a small step that leads me toward a valuable gift for myself.

Here are some open-ended questions to get you thinking about what would feel amazing for you today. They’re starter intentions that you can tweak and add your own little action step:

• How do I want to feel at the end of today?
• What matters most to me right now, and how can I honor that?
• What do I need to let go of today to move more freely?
• What do I want to remember, no matter what unfolds today?
• What kind of energy do I want to bring into my day?

So, today’s intention was easy – not do the same as yesterday.

How to Lock-In Your Morning Intention So It Stays with You

Put it into words. Say it to yourself out loud or in your head a few times. Write it down. Commit to it.

You may need to repeat this to yourself as the day progresses. And, you’ll probably forget at times too, that’s ok. Repeat your mantra the next time.

Practice setting and following intentions is an evolving process. No one reaches perfection. And that’s ok, perfection is not needed to change your life.

Any progress toward your positive intention for yourself is not only a win but will build on itself with confidence and habit formation as time goes on.

Bringing It All Together: How One Morning Intention Can Change Your Day

So, let’s bring this full circle.

We all have days that veer off-course. Even with the best setup doesn’t seem to protect us from energy dips or old self-critical thought patterns.

The key isn’t preventing those days. It’s learning how to show up for yourself anyway.

Today, you heard how a simple morning intention can change everything.

We talked about how setting an intention isn’t just a feel-good ritual, it’s a strategic move, backed by neuroscience and mindfulness, that primes your brain show up how you truly want to.

You learned how to pick an inention by reflecting on what you need most right now.

And I walked through simple ways to anchor your intention by saying it out loud, writing it down, and circling back to it with compassion when things go off the rails.

Setting daily intentions for busy moms isn’t about adding one more thing to your plate, it’s about giving yourself a simple yet powerful tool to make each day intentional.

Remember: this is not about perfection. It’s about progress. It’s about showing up for yourself, one small choice at a time.

You are not at the mercy of your day.

You get to decide how you move through it.

Even on the hard days, even when it feels like two steps forward, one step back, you are building something.

You are building resilience, self-trust, and the energy to keep going after the life you want.

And that starts with one small intention, every morning.

You’ve got this. ✨

Don’t forget to join me next week for another dose of support and inspiration. Until then, take care of yourselves, and take care of those who matter most.

It’s Time to Take Control and Thrive!