Have you ever felt like you could use a bit of an overhaul? Or wish you could just push a button and reset your life…sort of like when your mobile phone starts acting all slow and wonky? That’s exactly where I am right now and I suspect I’m not alone. In fact, springtime often brings on this urge for new beginnings. Along with pollen-induced sneezing! If you are feeling this way, let’s work through this together.
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How To Reset Your Life
When life gets out of balance it can be difficult to know where to begin getting everything back in alignment with our goals and values. It can seem overwhelming. That’s when I like to set aside some time to break it down into small steps. Here are the steps I’m taking. If you need to reset your life, too, I hope you’ll find this plan helpful.
1. Acknowledge the situation
Awareness is always the first step. You can’t fix anything until you admit there’s something that needs fixing. Take time to do some soul-searching. Try to put words to your feelings. If you aren’t already journaling regularly this is a good time to start. Or do a brain dump. Make a list of everything on your mind. Oftentimes, simply putting it all on paper can make you feel better. At the very least, you’ll have a list of things to address.
2. Take a break
If you can take a vacation that can be extremely helpful. Or maybe a long weekend away. If you can’t go somewhere, figure out a way to give yourself some sort of break in your usual routine. Clear your calendar for an upcoming weekend and do something restorative, even if that means ordering in takeout and binge-watching Netflix. Just give yourself permission to let go of the “shoulds” and relax a bit. And definitely consider unplugging from social media during this break.
3. Review your goals, values and life purpose
What is important to you? In order to create a life you love you need to know what that looks like. Many years ago, in an online group I belonged to, many of us wrote very detailed accounts of our ideal life. We wrote in third person as if someone else were describing us and our daily activities. Be very specific. Describe your appearance, how you wake up, your morning routine, your daily work, interactions with loved ones, your home, etc. Let your imagination loose. If your dream is to write a novel while living in a Parisian apartment, describe what that would look like. If that seems too far-fetched, you can always write a second version a bit closer to your current situation. But I encourage you to allow yourself to dream.
4. Clear the decks
One of the best ways to begin feeling better is a good cleaning. I’m writing this during spring so spring cleaning is definitely on my radar. However, if you’re reading this in a different season don’t let that stop you. Anytime can be a good time to do some extra scrubbing. Not only will your house look better but the very act of cleaning can be meditative.
In addition to cleaning your home, consider giving your car a thorough cleaning. Clean out your purse. Do a digital decluttering. Delete unused apps and social media accounts. Aim for “inbox zero”. (SaneBox is a great tool for this one!)
5. Give yourself a fresh start
Change your passwords. Create a new exercise routine. Clear out expired items in your fridge and pantry then go shopping for some healthy foods. If you’ve allowed yourself to get into unhealthy eating habits, create a menu plan for a week and stick to it.
6. Create new routines
The best way to change your life is to change what you do on a daily basis. Take a good, hard look at your morning and evening routines. Do they contribute to the sort of life you want? Maybe they worked at one time but are no longer the best fit. Or maybe you don’t have anything that can legitimately be called routines.
Start small but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to create morning and evening routines which provide a bit of structure as well as nourish your soul at both ends of the day. If you need help creating routines I highly recommend these inexpensive yet very helpful courses:
I’ve done them both several times (once you purchase, you can review the materials as often as you’d like) and I think it’s time for a refresher.
Also take a look at your weekly routines. Do you have certain days for specific tasks? Back in Grandmother’s day there was usually an expected flow to the week. Washing on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, baking on Wednesday…and so on. There is a lot to be said for having designated days for the things we need to do each week.
7. Make time for self-care and personal development
When was the last time you spent 30 minutes soaking in a bubble bath? Have you read anything more enriching than the latest drama on Facebook? Eliminate everything you can that doesn’t contribute to your beautiful life and spend that time doing things that do. Read. Write. Paint. Plant a garden. Learn a new skill. Master a delicious recipe. Listen to music. Volunteer. Take a walk. Write a letter. Start a gratitude journal.
You deserve to live a life that gives you joy and satisfaction but it doesn’t just happen. It requires intentional action and sometimes…a hard reset. That’s what I’m doing right now. If your life feels a bit out of sync, I hope you’ll join me. I definitely believe we have the power within ourselves to create a beautiful life.
You may also like:
Create a Beautiful Life With a Morning Ritual
Create a Beautiful Life With an Evening Ritual
If you are spring cleaning you might want some new cleaning products. I adore the Mrs. Meyers lilac-scented products whenever they are available. I also love the peony scent. New seasonal scents include fresh cut grass and daisy.
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*Important note: This post is directed toward people who are just in a simple funk, not serious depression or in an abusive situation. A new morning routine won’t fix either of those and I encourage you to seek professional help.
These are great tips. I’ll certainly be joining you in attempting to “reset” things. I’m still not clear how that’s going to look, but I’m trying some things to see what fits for me, if you know what I mean.
I’m still stumbling my way through a reset. I spent a lot of time today clearing out things on my phone and just planning for the upcoming week.
Wow, Dee, we have a few similarities xxxxx Whenever I need to reset my life, it actually is because within my situation, I have lost my direction: forgotten my values, purpose and goals. I then clear the decks and organise new routines to restart. Great post, I got a lot out of it.
That’s a good point. Knowing one’s values and purpose is vital to creating an intentional life. Glad you liked the post.
Great tips for sure important to get in the reset time to time. Especially right before you make a change in your life. Get that clear space to make room for what’s to come.
Following on from what the globe has been through, for the past 2 years…this is extremely apt!
It really has been a challenging time.
thank you for the great information.
Sometimes I too feel like I should have a reset button with me to reset my life once. This may help me to delete all the clutters from mind. I appreciate you for this post for giving tips. Thanks!