The idea of becoming a brand new person is an interesting one. While almost anyone can register a new email address, change their bank account or change their name even, reconfiguring who you are takes a little more work. After all, we all have our natural personalities, our natural bodies, our past and memories that stay with us. Luckily, you don’t have to become a brand new, separate person from who you are now to live more happily, you just need to change your perspective and focus, with optimism, on the future.
But what if you really do need a reset in life? What if you’re exhausted from a relationship gone south, are deeply unhappy in your friendship group or job, or just wish to look to the future with a sense of calm and focus, untethered from the difficulties you’ve encountered thus far?
It’s not a silly hope in the slightest. In this post, we’ll help you determine a few helpful pathways forward, hopefully allowing you to feel more confident and comfortable in yourself.
Reassess Your Social Circle
The people we surround ourselves with have a genuinely massive impact on our lives. They say that most people are a blend of their five closest friends or relatives, and it makes sense.
For that reason, it might be worth taking a step back and looking at your social circle with fresh eyes to ensure they’re good for you. Are these connections nurturing and supportive as they should be, or do they drain your energy with constant criticism? You don’t need to cut ties dramatically, but gradually spending more time with those who uplift and inspire you could make a significant change in life. Sometimes, you may wish to move away and start anew. Connecting with healthier people, even if that means going from ten friends to one, can be a big boon to your mental health and outlook on the world.
Consider Your Daily Habits
Our daily habits tend to be forgotten as just part of self maintenance, but they’re actually how we tend to live our lives.
That’s why it’s good to take some time to reflect on your routines. Are there habits that no longer serve you as they used to? Maybe it’s scrolling through social media first thing in the morning (only to feel drained and frustrated after), or always saying yes to commitments you’d rather decline because you like to please people.
Working on removing those habits that don’t help in the slightest tend to be the best way to improve as a person, with a sense of promise that you can change. Better yet, you don’t have to change yourself entirely in one go, you can just alter the habits you focus on if you like.
Question Choices You Make Without Thinking
Most people fall into autopilot mode when they have a routine, making decisions without really considering why. It’s hardly a bad thing in some instances – if you had to question which way to go to work each morning you would be wasting valuable mental energy. Most people could do it without even thinking.
That said, when you’re trying to “reset,” it could be worthwhile to pause and question some of these automatic choices. Why do you always take that particular route to go shopping, or shop in that distinct supermarket? Why do you always order the same dish at your favorite restaurant or listen to that one playlist to sleep? The answer might be obvious – “I enjoy it,” but what if your preferences have tied you into one way of living?
Sometimes,, you might discover new preferences or more efficient ways of doing things if you explore a little. For example, if you tend to be quite focused on a political ideal, think about the arguments against it. This can help you become a better thinker without ever resigning yourself to being one type of person forever. This is how growth happens.
Embrace Minimalism
It’s good to tune out all the noise from time to time. By “minimalism,” we often mean limiting all those things that stimulate you in life so you can think clearly once again. But what, does that mean throwing out your television?
Not necessarily. Instead, you might clean your household deeply and rearrange the items you really want to have on show. It might mean simplifying your schedule, instead using a few periods of free time to determine what it is you want from your future. It may mean forgoing the constant news podcasts or constant media on your commute so you can drive with a little more reflection.
This doesn’t have to be forever. But a period of simplicity while you reset your habits, schedule, routine and priorities can do so much for your sense of comfort and calm that it’s almost unbelievable. So, don’t think you have to redefine your entire life in one day, but don’t ignore the benefits of simply cutting out the noise for a spell.
Seek Professional Guidance
Do you have to go this process alone? We don’t believe you do, especially if you’re prefer some understandable and helpful advice. For example, seeking professional guidance, such as therapy or life coaching, can provide valuable support and perspective. For some, practices that support and understand that sense of spiritual guidance can be a massive boost too.
Does this mean you’ll be told what to do? Not at all, it’s more about providing space to define life how you hope to live it. A professional can help you navigate your thoughts and feelings along a helpful structure, discuss patterns that might be holding you back, and develop strategies for positive change to bake into your schedule.
They can also offer an objective viewpoint, like a good friend would, not to mention tools to help you work through those challenges. Remember that seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but a courageous step forward. If you’d prefer this, it’s genuinely your right to do so.
Adopt a Healthy Routine
We mentioned above that a routine can be easy to fall into without question, and this can sometimes hold you back from the “reset” you’re hoping for. But there’s no reason why you can’t consider a new routine to help your sense of well-being and move forward in the future. Your physical health and mental well-being are closely interconnected after all, and to enjoy a new life change you need to be in peak form.
For example, you might intend to wake up earlier and try to get some exercise done in the morning. This could be the health “reset” you’re looking for that inspires you to lose weight and forgo other bad habits. Maybe your new routine will encompass a weekend hobby so you’re less inclined to head to the bar with friends at the weekend, a hobby you’ve been trying to remove from your schedule. When you start making more micro-decisions about what to do with your time, a reset not only feels like a reset, but less of a direction you may lip service to, and one you actually implement.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily reset your life in the direction you hope to change in. Sometimes, that means saying goodbye to what we have now, such as leaving one career for a lower position in another field. But ultimately, if you felt the need for it, accepting that change takes time will take you further than almost anything else going forward.
We wish the best of luck on your approach.
