Reset to Resettle & Restore
A segment of the weekly newsletter is a weekly theme and this blog post is an enhancement to that section. Each weekly theme is an invitation and encouragement meant to help the reader better connect to themselves. Please note that the selected themes can be reflected upon at any time and are not limited to the week the themes are shared and published.
Theme: Reset
To reset is “to set again or anew” (Merriam-Webster). This week’s theme of Reset builds upon last week’s theme of breathe and invites you to explore where in your life or experience you may need or benefit from a reset. In specific, the challenge is to reset in those places and spaces that may help you resettle your mind, your breath, and/or your nervous system. Taking the time to reset through activities like breathwork or a walk in nature, can provide the space for clarity to unfold and can restore you back to the present moment (say “bye” to ruminating about the past and worrying about the future!).
Practices for Reflection
Start by taking five deep breaths to ground yourself. Then, reflect on any or all of the following questions:
Reflect on your current systems, processes, and routines; where would you benefit from a reset?
What are your reset practices?
How do you reset your mind? Your body?
Sleep is one of our biggest resets; do you get enough sleep?
How do you feel after a reset?
Personal Reflection
The breath is my main go-to reset tool for getting through the day. Breath breaks between events and tasks helps me reset my mental and emotional states so that I can get into the state needed for the task ahead of me. Dropped off kids in the morning and need to transition out of that stressful state into a calmer one so I can write? Five to ten big breaths helps me resettle my nervous system so that I can let go of the previous stress and tension and invite in the calm and focus needed to write.
My second go-to reset tool is movement. Running, yoga, and dance are movement modalities that help me get out of my head and into my body. Movement holds me in the present moment and reminds that I am strong enough to do hard things. Both breathwork and movement practices are reset moments that serve as transition points in my day to help me flow better with the demands of the day.
Beyond these two, sleep is the best reset possible. I learned the importance of sleep-as-a-reset early on in my motherhood journey when I would have a challenging day with my child, but after a nap, it was like being given an opportunity to try again; my kids always woke up so happy! Ultimately, for me, it comes down to this: when it comes to resets in my life, the breath and movement help me resettle the system, while sleep helps me restore the system.
