Intentional Living
Cultivating an "I GET TO" Attitude
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started from and know the place for the first time."
-T.S. Elliot
Hello, Everyone!
I hope that you’re all well and beginning to settle into new rhythms and routines as we move out of summer energy and into the transitions and busyness that seem to arrive every September.
For many of us, late summer/early fall arrives with a rush of new beginnings, and it’s not unusual to feel unsettled or overwhelmed. Yet, in the midst of the busyness, we get to turn to mindfulness to anchor into where we are right now and remind ourselves that less is more. When we simplify, we gain presence. And, when we edit out what’s not essential, we create space for what matters most.
Intentional living, which is a practice that I’ve been spending a lot of time feeling into lately, is about doing what matters with awareness. Taking time to pause and simplify has helped me—and can help us all—feel more grounded in this transitory season in which it can sometimes feel hard to catch our breath.
To really live intentionally, we return to the three pillars that we explored this summer—Intention, Attention, and Attitude—noting that they are not separate strands, but a woven cord to help guide us through the ups and downs that we experience each day. Without intention, we rush through on autopilot. Without attention, we skim the surface of our days and miss what truly matters. Without checking in with our attitude, we may carry resentment, irritability or distraction into each moment.
Within the swirl of September, we can return again and again to the three pillars of mindfulness to help ground ourselves by asking:
What is my intention?
Where is my attention?
What attitude am I bringing?
Bringing intention, attention, and attitude together helps us meet this season with steadiness. Returning—again and again—to these three pillars helps us choose what matters, notice it fully, and bring a kind presence to each moment.
In the spirit of simplifying, beginning this month, I’ve decided to shorten this monthly newsletter. In a world overflowing with information, I want this to be a brief respite—a pause from the hustle, rather than more noise. My hope is that you can slow down, read with care, and let the words land. May this monthly newsletter be an invitation to be fully present with where you are, right now, as you read.
The Practice
Cultivating an "I GET TO" Attitude
As mentioned above, fall can feel like a whirlwind— school starting again, new classes, shifting weather, gatherings, deadlines, etc. It takes time to acclimate, and we often need our mindful tools more than usual to help us feel grounded within all the change.
One simple way I’ve learned to anchor is through language. Lately, I’ve been noticing a tug when I tell myself that I have to, need to or should do something, which never lands well in my mind or body. Each of those phrases carries with it a weight or obligation. Yet, when I flip the script and change the “I have to, need to or should” to an “I get to,” that small shift in words suddenly cultivates a sense of gratitude and turns ordinary tasks into reminders of what and how much I’m fortunate to experience. Now, it’s: I get to take my cats to the vet. I get to answer a client email. I get to cook dinner, call a friend, go for a run.
When we consciously slow down, choose our words with care, and shift from I have to → I get to, we make a mindful decision to transform weight into gratitude. And, this gentle reframe can help us better acclimate to this new season with steadiness, clarity, presence, and care.
The invitation this month is to continue practicing the three pillars of mindfulness—gently noticing when you’ve veered from your intention, your attention is scattered, and/or you’re bringing judgment or irritability into an experience rather than curiosity, compassion and care. When that occurs, return again and again to the right here, right now—feeling your feet on the floor, your breath in your body, and an appreciation that you get to be in this present moment.
I want to express my deepest appreciation and love to each of you.
Thank you for your presence—I’m so happy that you are here!
May you be filled with warmth and kindness.
May you be happy, healthy and safe.
May your heart know peace.
Wishing you presence, softness and clarity as this busy season unfolds.
With warmth,
Karen
P.S.: For those of you who enjoyed the monthly Cat Tales, please know that the sibling trio is doing well, and I continue to learn much from them. I’m sitting with the idea of doing a bit more on social media, and perhaps you’ll see them soon there!
IMPORTANT UPDATE
As many of you already know, after much contemplation, I decided to combine the Monday night biweekly mindfulness meditation group with one that also incorporates people who are in/have completed the 8-week MBCT course, as well as anyone looking to deepen their mindfulness/meditation practices in heartfelt community. This group will be offered once a month for a 75-minute session that will include a dharma talk, a 30-minute meditation and a group discussion on a mindfulness topic that is relevant to our modern lives.
Please join us if you're interested!
The schedule through the end of the year will be as follows:
Thursday October 2 from 7 - 8.15 pm EST
Tuesday November 6 from 12.15 - 1.30 pm EST
Thursday December 4 from 7 - 8.15 pm EST
The website is currently being updated to reflect this change. If you're interested in the group or have any questions, please reach out to me directly at karen@drkarenwalant.com.
For those of you in the group, our last session will be on September 8 at 8pm EST. I look forward to seeing you all and connecting through reflection and wrap-up.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
8-Week Online Course for Anxiety, Depression & Stress
October 1 - November 19, 2025
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
My 8-week online Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course is designed to help you tap into your heart, body and mind and listen deeply to your inner experience. You’ll gain insight and skills that give you a choice as to how to respond to life’s difficulties while learning how to cultivate a new and gentler relationship with anxiety, depression and stress—and a more compassionate way of being within yourself.
Integrating current developments in neuroplasticity with ancient wisdom, this course, based in the work of Jon Kabat- Zinn, offers you the structure to practice meditations designed to assist you in becoming your own inner healer. Along with meditation, you will be offered additional mindfulness-based tools and techniques to break free from habitual patterns and automatic reactions, enabling you to turn your mind-heart-body into a skilled ally that supports you in both long-term health and healing and in managing the ups-and-downs of everyday life.
The next online MBCT course will begin on October 1 and conclude on November 19, with a 2-hr orientation on September 17th, 7-9pm EST. (For those observing Yom Kippur, an alternate date will be offered for the Oct 1 class).
Beginning on October 1, we'll meet every Wednesday evening 7-9 pm EST for eight weeks, and there will be a half-day retreat on November 2, 11:30-5 EST.
More information about the course can be found on the 8-Week MBCT Course page of my website.
Please contact me directly at karen@drkarenwalant.com for more information and pricing.
If you know of anyone interested in deepening their mindfulness and meditation practices, please forward this email along and invite them to join as well! All are welcome and can sign up for the newsletter on my website.
Dr. Karen Walant has been a practicing psychotherapist for almost three decades and holds a MSW and PhD in Clinical Social Work from New York University. Karen supervises other clinicians in private practice and has given lectures around the country on issues related to attachment, mindfulness, meditation, addiction and recovery, deepening the therapeutic relationship, parenting with kindness, and fostering compassionate relationships. She is the author of Creating the Capacity for Attachment: Treating Addictions and the Alienated Self. A long-time meditator and teacher, Karen is a 2021 graduate of the 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program (taught by meditation experts Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield), is certified as a Mindfulness Meditation Mentor, and is certified as a Level I Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Teacher through Brown University, and completed her Certificate in Mindfulness and Psychotherapy from the Institute for Mindfulness and Psychotherapy in 2022.