I don’t know if you guys feel this way, but I think there’s something so refreshing about the start of spring. January rolls around and everyone is on that New Year’s Resolution kick, then February gets here and it’s still freezing and you might start “falling off the bandwagon” with your goals. I feel like as soon as March 1 hit though, I was ready to take a deep breath and start over in a sense with my goals. For me personally, February was crazy – we moved from Colorado to Texas and had a million things going on at once. Life got a little out of whack and I’m ready to get back on track with a healthy and balanced lifestyle. I realize that lifestyle can look different for each person but today I wanted to share some tips on how you can start fresh as well, if you’re also feeling the need to hit the “reset” button!
It can be easy to get down on yourself if you feel like you’re not just crushing your goals right now (any other enneagram 3’s out there?!). But instead of beating yourself up…let’s all just take a deep breath, hit the reset button, and allow spring to be a fresh start! Sharing a few simple ways I like to refresh / restart bellow.
Tip #1: Sunday prep
What helps me “get back on track” the most when I’m feeling out of sorts or off balance is blocking off time on Sunday, before my week starts, to really mentally + emotionally prepare for the week ahead. Here’s what that process looks like for me:
I look at my calendar – both work and life – and figure out what I have going on this week. What deadlines do I have this week? What meetings or doctor’s appointments do we have scheduled? What social activities are on the calendar? [I typically track all of these things in my phone calendar]. And then I WRITE OUT what my week looks like. I pull out my golden coil planner and write out every meeting or appointment or deadline I have scheduled for the week. Once i have those things on the calendar, I schedule out my workouts. Some days I’ll need to workout at 6am to get it in. Other days, Michael and I can go to Equinox together and put Shiloh in their Kid’s Club. But I like to go into the week with a plan, otherwise…I’ll wake up Tuesday morning and just think “I’m too busy”.
After I have my meetings and deadlines and workouts on the calendar…I plan out our dinners. What nights do we have social things planned vs what nights will we be eating at home? Eating at home 4 nights means I’ll find two recipes to make and we’ll have leftovers the other two nights.
I could go into more detail about what my Sunday prep looks like but I think y’all get the picture! The important thing is you go into your week being proative rather than reactive. You plan out when you can workout, how you can cook healthy meals at home, etc! This process honestly takes my stress level from a 10 to a 1 and also helps me incorporate some healthy habits into my week!
Tip #2: Morning routine
A great way to help you press the reset button and get a fresh start is by creating a healthy morning routine. Don’t let this phrase intimidate you! What’s important here is that you are waking up and spending even just 15 minutes alone, quiet, by yourself…either reading your Bible or a devotional, journaling, praying, meditating, going for a quick walk, etc. I don’t know about you guys, but if I don’t consciously carve out time alone in the mornings, my days start off pretty chaotic and that pattern continues throughout my day. Get the baby up, answer emails while making her breakfast, put out some fire with a work situation etc. In this scenario, you are starting your day off REACTOR.
Instead…try carving out 30 minutes in the morning (even 15 minutes is great!), before the baby wakes up or before you go to the gym. Spend time praying, reading your Bible, letting God know what’s on your heart, journaling etc. This will help you start your day off in the right mindset, feeling rooted and grounded in what is truly important, vs reacting to any chaos that gets thrown at you that day.
Starting your day off this way will really help you accomplish any goals you put on your new year’s resolution list and also help REMIND you of what those goals even are! Whether that’s business related, fitness goals, social etc…taking time in the morning to just be still will help you feel refreshed, focused, and ready for the day!
Tip #3: Unplug
The last tip I’ll share with you guys today is something I just spent time doing last weekend. Michael, Shiloh and I went out to the lake with my family for two nights. We don’t usually have our phones out, people aren’t working. You’re just out at the lake with the people you love the most – playing games, going for walks, having good conversations, cooking dinner. And it’s pretty magical. Taking time to unplug – whether it’s for 1 hour or a whole weekend – will do wonders in helping you refocus on your goals and intentions.
Maybe it’s not realistic for you to get away for a whole weekend right now. But if you’re feeling the need to press the “restart” button…I’d encourage you one night (or every night) this week…when you get home from work: put your phone away. Go plug it in in a room that you don’t usually go into. Pull out a book (fiction or Christian or self-help or whatever lets your mind unplug), sit on the couch and read. Take time to journal about some of your goals for this year. Go for a long walk with your husband and just chat. Do whatever YOU need to do to silence some of the noise in your life, allow your mind and body to rest, and just consciously “unplug” from the noise of life. Maybe that looks like a weekend trip away, but maybe it looks like every night this week…making a conscious choice to find some space and silence.
I feel like once March 1 hit, I was able to take a deep breath and say “okay, let’s do this.” I’m feeling really refreshed and ready to live with intention and purpose in each day day, working towards my goals with joy and peace!
What about you guys? Have you also been feeling the need for a “reset” button lately? What are some things you do to refocus and get yourself on the right track again? Comment below!
xo Lauren
