At this point of the year, we’re often a little (or a lot) run down, just trying to make it to the proverbial finish line. Your finish line could be Christmas leave, the end of a Christmas period contract, or even celebrating the end of this trip around the sun. Whatever that ‘finish line’ looks like for you, it’s a great time to reflect and reset.
Time to reset means taking space to clear your mind, reflect, and refocus on what’s important to you, and making adjustments to your life or routine that can signal a fresh start. Having a consistent routine helps take some of the guesswork out of our day, which, in turn, improves our mental health and wellbeing by making our everyday life easier. It’s this sense of structure that can provide stability and ease stress, freeing up time and energy to enjoy the things that matter most to us.
Ways in which we can reset areas in our life include reflecting on, and actioning (where appropriate), the following areas:
- Focus on values. Review your list of values and see if they are still relevant. Identify and focus on what’s important to you right now and the actions you can take to help move you toward your values. For example, you may prioritise the value of kindness. You might like to look at how tweaking behaviours can help you move further towards that value, such as kind words or gestures towards yourself and others. Perhaps you prioritise the value of adventure. Look at how you can engage in activities that offer opportunities for adventurous behaviour.
- Practice Mindfulness. Use techniques such as the ones in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources links on our website. Calming your nervous system regularly ‘empties your bucket’ of stress and busyness and helps you cope with what comes your way.
- Disconnect. Look at your habits around digital devices. Do you really need to watch that much (if any) news? Which social media pages are you following that upset or anger you, and can you remove them? Reduce the overwhelm wherever you can.
- Move your body. Movement is amazing because it can help reduce anxiety and stress, boost our energy, improve concentration and memory, and improve sleep. Think of ways in which you can incorporate a bit more movement into your day, from bushwalking on the weekend to setting an alarm every hour to remind you to get up from your desk and stretch. Every little bit helps.
- Day breaks. Carve out a day each month where you’re not available for social commitments or work. Use this time to do something enjoyable, such as journaling, hiking, exploring, crafting, or even resting.
- Extended breaks. Whilst a quick break can provide a surface-level reset, we also need more extended breaks. However, we need ones in which we can focus on ourselves, not everyone else, as ‘family holidays’ sometimes turn out, particularly if none of the activities or time focuses on our fulfilment (so try to factor this in). Retreats are often a fabulous way to step away from everyday distractions and enable a reset by focusing on personal growth, relaxation, and mindfulness. It doesn’t need to be a formal retreat (although they can be wonderful), as you can organise a getaway with similarly minded family or friends. Have a bit of a plan each day and put aside time for journaling, yoga practice, a walk or meditation, or activities that you identify as nourishing to your mind, body and soul.
Resetting is not a luxury; it is crucial to maintaining your overall health and wellbeing and to supporting you in thriving in life. It is not about making those sweeping changes or gestures that people often do at the new year, but reflecting on your life, as it is, working out what’s working for you, what needs tweaking, and what you can let go of.
Be proud of what you’ve accomplished so far and embrace the changes that can help you achieve clarity amid the chaos.
Be kind,
Dr Nicole Jeffery-Dawes (she/her)
Senior Psychologist, Bush Support Line
