Sometimes, we all need a little life shakeup, whether it's a tiny tweak to your everyday life, a major change in your personal life, or a full-blown fresh start. Regardless of wha camp you fall into, if you're feeling like you need to hit the reset button on your life, worry not—we've got your covered.
In starting this process, one of the first things you need to do is identify the areas of your life that need a reset, and from there you can take a look at the big and small changes you can make.
Get Clear On the Changes You Want to Make By Examining Your Wellness Wheel
While a quick search will yield dozens of different Wellness Wheels, this one, sourced from Penn West Clarion, gives you a basic rundown:
This wellness wheel breaks down the different "spokes" of our wellness.
To get started with the wellness wheel exercise, you may want to draw your own wellness wheel, or find a printable online that works for you. (Here's a good example of a free one).
From there, you can get to work coloring it in. For example, maybe your social life feels very full—in that case, you can completely fill in that "spoke" of your wheel. If, on the other hand, you've been having trouble sleeping, don't exercise regularly and have been hitting the processed snacks a little too hard, you may not be able to color in all of your physical spoke. In that case, you'll know where you want to direct energy.
Big Changes That Can Help You Hit the Reset Button
Here are examples of big changes that can help you set the reset button, broken down by category:
Spiritual
- If you're a believer in a specific religion, start going to temple or church
- Assemble a group of like-minded people who also want to dive deeper into their spirituality journey
- Practice gratitude every day
Emotional
- Adopt a daily journaling practice
- Start seeing a therapist
- Adopt a pet
Intellectual
- Learn a new language
- Start taking a class
- Work to advance to the next level in your career
Physical
- Develop a solid exercise routine you can actually stick to
- Made sure to include something green in every meal
- Get 8 hours of sleep every night
Social
- Commit to two friend dates per week
- Join a club or class that will give you the opportunity to form new social connections
- Get to know someone new at work or in your neighborhood
Environmental
- Start composing (if you don't already)
- Commit to eating meat-free some (or all) days of the week
- Refresh your knowledge on how to recycle so you can ensure that you're sorting your plastics and paper properly
Financial
- Start working with a financial planner to make sure you're on track with your goals
- Come up with a set of new financial goals, and come up with a plan to start working toward them
- Implement "no spend" days, or even "no spend" months.
Little Changes That Can Help You Hit the Reset Button
Here are examples of little changes that can help you hit the reset button, broken down by category:
Spiritual
- Pay attention to your dreams
- Meditate
- Read books geared toward living a more spiritual life
Emotional
- Spend less time on your phone
- Tell people you love them more regularly
- Say thank you
Intellectual
- Read a book for 15 minutes a day
- Start reading the paper
- Watch less TV
Physical
- Work on sitting or standing up straight while you work
- Drink more water
- Eat less takeout
Social
- Say hi to a stranger
- If you work from home, move your work to a coffee shop one day a week so you can be surrounded by people
- Make eye contact and smile at people on the street
Environmental
- Pick up pieces of litter you see on the ground
- Turn off the lights
- Cut down on heat and air conditioner use
Financial
- Skip the credit cards when you can and pay with cash instead
- Set up an auto-transfer to your savings account
- If your company offers retirement benefits, start using them (you'll thank yourself later!)
Whether you're looking to hit a big reset button or a small one, with this guide, you may just find that the life shake-up you're looking for is easier to accomplish than you think.
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