How To Have a Winter and New Year Reset

I don’t know about you but I find that Spring and New Year are the perfect times for a reset throughout the year. We’ve all heard of Spring cleaning but I think one of the most powerful times to de-clutter and reset is the end of the year. Nobody wants to head into a  new year carrying baggage from the one before.

This time of year is SO busy but I think we owe it to ourselves to spare some time to forfeit any big plans and just spend a couple of days focusing on ourselves and how we can have a Winter and New Year reset.

To me, a reset means to go inward, rest, replenish and rebuild. And there are many different ways to do all of those things – both physical and mental.

And with it being Winter; the days being shorter, the weather being colder and possibly the Winter blues starting to creep in (despite the Christmas festivities) it’s no better time to set those blues aside and really focus on how you want to reset for the New Year.

So, that said, we’re going to look at a handful of things you can do to add into your Winter and New Year reset. Some are physical acts, some are mental, all are valuable. Take what you need and leave the others for someone else.

How To Have a Winter and New Year Reset:

De-clutter your physical space 

Let’s start off easy shall we? A physical de-clutter is the perfect way to start a New Year reset. I just LOVE de-cluttering my possessions towards the end of the year and heading into the fresh New Year feeling a little bit lighter.

Need some help knowing where to start? Here are 28 things to de-clutter before the end of the year and if you need a bit of convincing as to why you should prioritize a de-clutter, here are 7 valid reasons why you should remove clutter from your life.

De-clutter your digital space

Your clutter doesn’t end with your wardrobe or your sock drawer. We store a LOT of digital clutter on our devices that can really built up over the year without us really realising.

Check out this post on how to Spring clean your digital devices (yes, even though it’s a Winter reset) and don’t forget to de-clutter your Facebook friends as well.

Unfollow and unsubscribe 

Following on nicely from the Facebook friend de-clutter, the end of the year is the perfect time to unfollow anyone who you don’t vibe with anymore on social media and unsubscribe from mailing lists, newsletters, blogs and websites that you don’t have a need for.

Your social media accounts and your online space is yours to curate as you wish, so don’t be afraid to unfollow people that trigger you, that you don’t agree with or just bring your vibe down.

Write a gratitude list for the year

So we’ve had a nice de-clutter and now it’s time to express some gratitude for the year just gone. I’m a big believer in a gratitude practice and how powerful they can be. You definitely shouldn’t be skipping this step.

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like we have anything to be grateful for when we’re having a bad day or feeling unmotivated. But we always do, even if it’s something as small as a chirping bird or a clear blue sky.

Forgive yourself and others

We build up a lot of resentment as the year ticks along. There’s always going to be someone that we feel has done us a dirty or perhaps something that WE have done ourselves that we wish we didn’t do.

Taking resentments into the new year just won’t do. We want a fresh start and a clean slate, so check out this post on how to show forgiveness and why it’s vitally important that you do.

Engage with some journal prompts

Journaling can be a great way to reflect on something but with an entire year to look back on, it can be hard to know where to start when so much has happened.

If you can just open your journal and write, that’s great! But if you’re struggling, then check out some journal prompts for the end of the year to give you some guidance.

Write a list of accomplishments 

This is a really hard one to do sometimes, especially when we’re having periods of low self esteem. But we’ve all got something to feel proud of and an accomplishment to recognize from the previous 12 months.

Perhaps you bought a house this year, left a relationship that wasn’t serving you, started your dream job, got a promotion or had a baby. Or maybe you just woke up every day and decided to try. That’s an accomplishment in itself.

Take part in an end of the month ritual

An end of the year ritual can encompass many of the above (and below) steps but it just wraps it up in a neat bow.

If you’re interested in a full end of the month (or year) ritual, then check out my end of the month ritual guide below. You’ll need to sign up to my mailing list to gain access to the freebie library, where you can download the guide.

Set some goals for the New Year 

Something we’re all used to doing I think but an important part of our Winter and New Year reset for the year ahead and that’s creating some goals!

I feel like there’s a lot of misconceptions around goal setting, so check out this post on truth bombs about goal setting to debunk some of them! You will also find 70 personal growth goal ideas here to consider for the new year too.

Figure out your word of the year

And finally, if you want to take it one step further than just goals, then you might want to consider setting a word of the year for the year ahead. This is a word you want to lean in to, a word that will sum up your intention for the new year.

Your word can be anything you want but here are a few suggestions: Positivity, grounded, alignment, connection, patience, kindness, consistency, creative, compassion, manifest.

I hope this has given you some ideas on how to have a Winter and New Year reset, if you’re hoping to go into the new year with a fresh perspective and clean slate.

Remember, it doesn’t take a new year to make a positive change in your life. You can do all of these things at any time of year!

That’s all from me for the rest of this year, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and new year with your friends, families, pets and selves.

Will you be having a Winter or New Year reset this year? Which of these pointers will you be focusing on?