3 Ways to Reset Your Day

By: Camden Baucke MS LLP

Too often we continue down a path we didn’t intend to go. We weren’t really sure about it in the first place but “it is what it is” now. We start and we don’t stop, letting our schedule and persistent negative feelings become “normal.” Soon you don’t even think about it. Today is national start over day, and maybe it’s time to stop toughing things out. Maybe it’s time to advocate for your mental health through resets, big and small. A reset is not an easy fix, but a worthwhile effort in reshaping your life to fit your values. Change is difficult, but a reset can be a convenient and healing exercise, especially when used during times of distress.

#1 Emotional-Mental Reset

Resetting your emotional momentum is an immediate method of starting over. It’s fairly common to go from task to task all day, accumulating emotional and mental burdens. Your day starts with that stressful email from your boss, then interacting with your angry neighbor, then you get cut off in traffic, then you go home to screaming children. If unprocessed, this momentum can continue to build throughout your day until it feels like an unsustainable and stressful blur. To prevent this, you must treat the stress you feel each day like water in a cup.

It’s important to empty it out frequently rather than wait until it overflows.

You can reset your mind by processing and clearing your thoughts and emotions after each stressful event. This means taking as little as 2 minutes to take inventory of what you think and feel. See your feelings, process them, and then engage in a short grounding or meditative breathing exercise. This simple reset can drastically improve your day and allow you to create bookends between stressful situations. Starting over after each irritation allows you to enter into the next activity with a fresh perspective.

Don’t wait until the cup is overflowing to address your needs.

Remember: 20% full, 2 minute meditation. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, validate your emotions, and let them pass with the situation they just came from.

#2 Routine Reset

Resetting your routine is an intermediate method of putting more of yourself in your day. Too often we get into “should” routines where we end up repeatedly engaging in activities we get little reward from. You can be busy, but if you’re not invested in what you’re growing, then there is too little of YOU in what you do. A routine reset does not mean avoiding challenges, it means choosing and planning which challenges you want to be facing.

If you want to reset your routine, you will need to address filler activities. These are activities that don’t bring you value and are done out of some form of obligation. For example, If you regularly read a book every month to grow, but you don’t like the books you read and find yourself monotonously turning pages, then this is a filler activity. This would indicate the need for a reset to change the books, the frequency, or stop the routine entirely. If you allow yourself to do this, you might come back and find you really do like reading books. Not just any books though, but certain books and at a relaxed pace.

For a routine reset, take 1 day and wipe it clean of any routine other than the necessities. After that, listen for internal cues and determine what filler activities don’t need to return, and what activities or challenges would fit your values and desires.

A routine is a structure there to serve you, not the other way around. Like a planner, it is something to ensure that your values and wants are being met. If your values aren’t in your week, then it’s time to start over. Identify 10 values from this list and find ways to put them in your day or week. Make your weekly schedule specific to you. Choose what values YOU want to grow. You can progress in your skills, but it doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive with meaningful activities. You CAN have both.

Remember: Clear your schedule for one day and find your top 10 values. Plant your values in your schedule and watch them grow

#3 Trajectory Reset

How you live your days often reflects how you live your life. If your day does not include your values, then neither will your life. Your lifetime is valuable, and it’s important to treat it as such. You are the authority on what you value and want, and it’s crucial to follow that internal compass.

As a disclaimer, this advice is not a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” golden ticket to a blissful life. There’s many barriers to changing your life trajectory, and only you can truly know what those are. However, if you do find areas in your life you could change or pursue differently, I encourage you to try.

What experiences do you want to have in life, and how can you start that process now?

Starting over in your career, relationships, or dreams is a seemingly impossible task. However, I challenge you to ask yourself; are you not worth the effort? Resetting your trajectory in any of these areas is a risk. However, the reward could be feelings of contentment and fulfillment.

Remember: Take 10-30 minutes to drop all thoughts or expectations of your current path to ask yourself the big question:

What do I want to reflect back on my life and see?

If you are not on the same path as that vision, then it’s time for a reset. It would be a tremendous amount of work, but a life well lived is the accumulation of values met.

Conclusion

National Start Over Day reminds us of a simple fact: You don’t have to continue down this path as it is. There are many things we can’t control, but let us take full control of what we can change. Advocate for your well-being each day by taking (#1) two meditative minutes to process your emotions, thoughts, and let them pass to become present again. Take your schedule back by (#2) building your routine from scratch based on what you personally value. Finally, take a break to (#3) evaluate your trajectory to restructure it in a way you want to remember your life.

You are worth the price of change

Want to Learn More?

If you would like to dive into the world of mental health or even start a therapy journey of your own, please visit greatlakesmentalhealth.com to learn more!