I’ve been feeling a bit restless and discontent with my lifestyle for quite a while. This feeling ebbs and flows. I’ve been trying to make changes for a long time, which I feel embarrassed to admit because nothing has stuck, and I’m still basically in the same place. My balance of social life, work, and self-care feels out of whack and it’s been making me drained and frustrated. I don’t like to come off as negative, but I’m being real (in the hopes that this can help someone). Last weekend, I hit a snapping point. I got so overwhelmed with emotions and frustration about my difficulty to keep the schedules I set for myself, and I had a meltdown. 

 I knew it was time for a complete reset. If you relate to feeling like you need a lifestyle reset/shift, here are some of the strategies I’m using to get back in alignment:


Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

Mindfulness

I’ve decided to try focusing all of my attention on the task at hand and blocking out the noise in my mind. This is a drastically different approach to life than my typical racing thoughts, and it is something I have to keep reminding myself to do. Practicing mindfulness can help you a lot if you are also someone who ruminates and worries about the past and future.
 

My current goal is to stay in the present moment as much as possible by committing to one activity at a time. I want to clarify that I am mostly talking about committing to one work task, errand/chore, or social event and trying not to worry about the next item on my to-do list. I don’t mean that I won’t do things like listen to music while working or do crafts while watching tv. I find combining those types of activities to be fine for me.

Gratitude

I’ve been keeping a daily gratitude journal since I was in college. Spending time paying attention to your surroundings and being grateful for the blessings in your life (big and small) is such an effective way to shift into a positive headspace.


Spend time outside

I love going for walks to clear my head. I highly recommend taking time to go outside and notice the beauty around you. 
Fresh air and sunshine can make such a difference in your overall well-being.

Do simple acts of self-care

Something I recently discovered is that cooking a simple meal makes me feel so calm and happy. Knowing that I took extra time and effort to prepare a meal leaves me feeling proud of myself, which is such a mood booster.


Romanticize your life

Identify small ways you can make each day feel special. Pay extra attention to the details. The other night, I poured sparkling water into a champagne flute. Just because it made me feel fancy. These seemingly small steps can make a big difference in your outlook.


Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash

Journal

Journaling is something I’m just getting into. I’m learning it is a helpful tool for getting out the negative emotions. Journaling is offering me a way to move through the angst and identify the ways I want to improve. Plus I like to write down things that motivate me and remind me that I am capable.


Check out this blog post for help with shifting your mindset around some of these patterns.

Identify Patterns/Themes That Are Causing Distress

This step is super important if you want to move forward and learn from your situation. If you find yourself feeling any negative emotions, take some time to reflect. Try to identify if there are any ongoing factors in your life that are contributing to these feelings. Then, determine how you can shift those patterns and get yourself out of the cycle.

For me, I know that this breakdown was caused by a build-up of emotions resulting from the ongoing feeling that I don’t have enough time to relax. I’ve been very aware at this stage of my life that I am struggling with time management and with keeping the schedules I set for myself. That frustration is what caused me to get overwhelmed. So I know that I need to take this as an opportunity to learn and to make adjustments.

Photo by Castorly Stock: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-silver-iphone-6-4114777/

How To Make Lifestyle Changes

Once you identify the key areas you struggle with, you can find ways to shift those parts of your life. For example, I am choosing to start waking up earlier, so I can start and finish work earlier. For a long time, I have been attracted to the lifestyle of starting and finishing work earlier. My struggle was with my evenings being filled with stress. I was constantly rushing around and everything in my evening routine was starting later than I wanted it to. I was making dinner later than I would like and rushing to get to bed. Because of all this rushing, I ended up feeling stressed and drained, and feeling like I didn’t have time for relaxing activities, like journaling, reading, watching tv, and crafting. So, I’ve decided to commit to changing my schedule, because I feel that ending work earlier means I can start unwinding earlier, giving me more of an opportunity to do the evening routine activities I mentioned. I realize I’ll also be going to bed earlier now since I’m waking up earlier, but I still think this is a much better schedule for me.

Another example of a lifestyle change is that I am making a point to be more intentional with creating a balance between work, my social life, and self-care. I know I need all of these in my life, and I plan on being mindful of how much time I’m spending on each category. Another way of putting it is that I am going to be more careful with how I spend my time, without overextending myself in any area. These mindset shifts will help me find a balance that allows me to feel my best.

The scenario I just described is one example of making a lifestyle shift to overcome a pattern that is causing you distress. 

These shifts will look different based on your life. If you want help with brainstorming possible lifestyle improvements you can make, feel free to send me a message on Instagram. I am happy to help you come up with ideas.

View This As An Ongoing Process (Not a Quick Fix)

Making a lifestyle change is something you have to dedicate time and energy to. Changing patterns and cycles can be hard, and isn’t something you can solve with a quick fix. Oftentimes, there isn’t one “solution’ that you can master and solve all of your problems, although that would be convenient. Rather, you need to consider yourself a work in progress and continue to identify the habits and systems that work well and help you succeed, while weeding out those that don’t work for you. 

I hope this helps you if you feel ready for a lifestyle reset. If you like content like this, be sure to subscribe to get notified of new blog posts! I post advice and guides to help you improve and become the best version of yourself!

Featured image: Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash