You’ve probably had those times (and maybe it’s right now) when you feel burned out and restless, like you need to get more motivated and energized in life.
You might be tempted to move to a new city, quit your job, travel the world, or change your entire look because you’re a) stressed out, b) burned out, and/or c) restless.
Whether you’re reading this post in back-to-school season, the new year, or a random day in April, we all find ourselves needing to hit the reset button from time to time.
The thing is that sometimes we think we need a big change to make life more exciting, but really we just need to make a few small tweaks.
Rather than overhauling your entire life because you feel like it’s the only way to get unstuck, let’s talk about finding small, simple ways you can get unstuck and refreshed in your life. In this post, I’m sharing a simple method to help you feel more rejuvenated when life feels overwhelming or unexciting.
How I Knew When to Hit the Reset Button
Even though I recently moved to a new apartment in a new city, I’ve been feeling a little restless and bored – as if something is missing from my life. I have a relatively busy schedule to keep me occupied, but there are certain parts of the day when I find myself unmotivated with my current situation.
When that happens, I start scrolling through Instagram, watching endless YouTube videos, online shopping, cleaning the apartment . . . basically anything except what’s on my to-do list. Eventually, this creates more boredom because I end up comparing my life to other people’s and wishing my life didn’t feel boring. It’s a vicious circle that doesn’t benefit me in any way.
I’ve also been dealing with some negative thoughts (as you can probably tell by that last paragraph). I’ve been doubting myself and where my life is going. Turning 27 this year has brought up some weird emotions. There’s this looming pressure from society for me to settle down and have kids, but I’m just not feeling ready for that stage of my life just yet. I feel both lost in my memories of my early twenties and anxious about approaching my thirties.
All in all, I’m feeling this urge to hit the reset button on my life. I haven’t been taking care of myself fully over the past few months, and I know it’s time to make a few changes to my life.
Small Changes That Help
When you’re feeling restless or unmotivated, it’s important to really listen to what’s going on internally. What is causing these feelings? Is it overworking, not doing work that’s fulfilling, or feeling disconnected from what you want to do and what others want you to do?
Some things that have been helping me to get back on track are:
- Sticking to a morning and evening routine
- Going to bed earlier
- Eating better and exercising more regularly
- Getting back into meditation and journaling
- Rekindling my love for dance
Even though these are small things, I found that they were missing from my daily routine and creating a bigger disconnect from myself than I thought. Sometimes what we WANT is not always what we NEED, so paying attention to the little details can really help you feel more aligned.
Now that I’ve shared what’s been helping me, let’s talk about what you can do to hit the reset button in your life.
How To Hit Your Reset Button
In order to hit the reset button, you have to figure out where you’re at right now and what changes you can make. A simple way to do this is through an exercise called the Wellness Wheel (grab the download near the end of this post).
Within the wheel that you see above, you’ll rank the different areas of your life on a scale of 1-10 based on how satisfied you feel with them (these are related to the seven pillars of self-care). You’ll be ranking the following areas of your life:
- Mental – the quality of your thoughts, level of positivity, attitude toward the world
- Emotional – taking care of matters of the heart with healthy coping strategies and self-compassion
- Physical – sleep, self-care, eating habits, exercise
- Environmental (space) – the level of comfort in your living space, cleanliness/tidiness, organization
- Spiritual – connecting with yourself or a higher power, learning new skills, personal growth
- Recreational – hobbies, activities, fun, downtime
- Social– interactions with family, friends, partners, colleagues, etc.
At the end of the exercise, your wheel might look a little like this:
Once you’re done, you can see which areas need the most attention. From here, try to focus on a few small changes you can make over the next three to six months based on the areas that you feel need the most work.
Choosing to work on a few life areas at once may not sound as exciting as an entire life overhaul, but this method is more sustainable than trying to do everything right away.
Download the wellness wheel worksheet
How will you reset your life?
I hope this post has given you some inspiration and guidance to help you hit the reset button and get unstuck in your life. Remember to create awareness around what you really need (not what you think you need), and focus on the small little changes that add up to larger changes over time.
14 Responses
Great ideas Catherine, and especially timely for me as we enter the month of September. You’ve reminded me of another self care activity – reflect upon what I am ‘harvesting’ as the growing cycle in the north comes to its seasonal end. I don’t always give myself credit for what I’ve accomplished, or harvested, leading to restlessness and discontent.
This was a really great post. For some reason, today specifically, I could really relate to how you were feeling. So many helpful words!! Thank you!
I totally relate to the feeling of new beginnings in the fall. As the trees shed their leaves it feels like a good time to shed negativity and start working on specific areas of life that need growth! I love the idea of the wellness wheel and am starting one right now!
This is exactly what I’m feeling right now! I also just turned 27 last month and I feel like I’m stuck with most aspects of my life. I’ll try doing this wheel! :)
I think this was such a simple, yet effective exercise that can lend you insight into the different areas of your life. I am actually super excited about completing this exercise for myself. I, too, have been feeling stuck and unfulfilled and my hope is this can help. Thank you so much!
I can relate to this post so much! This past year has been very hectic and I am moving house in three weeks. This has made me feel restless and unaccomplished (even with a lot going on). I have used the wellness wheel in the past and found it really helpful. I will be sure to revisit it once I am settled in the new house. Thanks for reminding me about it!
I been trying to improve my morning and evening routine and go to bed earlier most nights but summer is coming and that hasn’t been easy. I just got justice through the law for a situation that took up my energy now I can get my positive energy back and reset my life again. This blog has helped thank you ??
I never received the download! :( I tried to reenter my email and send it again, but that didn’t work either.
Sent you an email about this, Eszter!
that is a good post
Thanks, Baylee!
Catherine: I really enjoyed this post (found from Googling “how do I hit the reset button on my life?” out of a personal interest/need to do this). Do you mind if I share my own process of working on my life wellness on my blog, based on your wellness wheel exercise? I am thinking an 8-week post series focused on each area of the wheel, one at a time. I will credit you/your site for every post I write about hitting the reset button! I would even love to have you write a guest post based on this topic, if you’d be willing. -Aimee, Well(ish) Mind
Hi Aimee! Absolutely, go ahead and share on your blog! That sounds fantastic.
I totally relate to the feeling of new beginnings in the fall. As the trees shed their leaves it feels like a good time to shed negativity and start working on specific areas of life that need growth! I love the idea of the wellness wheel and am starting one right now!