Refresh Your Life for the New Year (or anytime you need a reset)

It’s a new year, which means it’s the perfect time for a fresh start! Truth be told, I don’t think you need to wait until January 1 to start working on new goals or to refresh your life. If you passionately want to start a new project in March or August or on December 31, go ahead! But I also think it’s worth it to take advantage of our yearly reminder to take a look at our lives and see what we’d like to change or work toward. If it’s the start of a new year—or if you’re reading this in the middle of the year and just feel a need to refresh your life—here are six ways to do so.

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1 // Drink Water

I’ve always wondered how many diets start—and fail—in January. Fresh off the holidays and the abundance of sugar-filled and rich foods they bring, sometimes you enter a new year feeling like you don’t need to eat for the rest of the month, but you need sustenance to live. I’m not going to tell you to start a diet or what foods you should cut out. I don’t know you and what your body needs to thrive. I will say you might want to start adding a few veggies in if you currently lack them in your diet. Movement always helps too. And water. The one thing I can tell you is that your body needs water to thrive and I’ve found making sure I’m properly hydrated always helps to give me a boost.

2 // Go Through Your Wardrobe

In 2017 I realized I had a lot of clothes that didn’t feel like me so I started to do a little clear out. Each month I’d get rid of a few of those pieces and incorporate a few new pieces. “Your clothes look like you,” my dad told me one day. It was cool to hear that from him, because I feel like me in them, too! And it feels great!

3 // Go Through Your Belongings

Our stuff can really weigh us down. Go through your belongings and honestly evaluate whether or not you want or need something. And be brutally honest with yourself! Yes, you want to read the articles you bought the magazines for, but you haven’t yet. Are you really going to if you haven’t already? Maybe you really want that back massager, but it doesn’t have a place to live when it’s not being used so it’s just become clutter. Maybe it’s time to move it on. If not, what can you move on so that your back massager can find its new home?

4 // Refresh Your Space

This could be its own blog post! What’s in and around your space can make such a big difference on how you feel—and I’m not talking about making sure your room is perfectly zen. What do you see when you’re in your space and how does that impact your thoughts? I didn’t want to be home at all this summer, so every chance I had I left town. The last time I “escaped” I sat in my brother’s basement thinking, “What is it that’s making me uncomfortable at home and what I can do to fix that?” My first thought was my comforter. I had spent so many sleepless nights with that comforter as I waited desperately for my time at a workplace I was trying to put behind me to end, and it made me think of that. My second thought: the cover I had on my computer, which I also used at work. Guess what I ordered as soon as I got home? If you’re looking for a new duvet cover, I absolutely love this one! It looks nice and is so comfortable. It’s also totally affordable! Add some cute throw pillows and set up a salt lamp (or two!) to help with air purification. Bonus: they’re a fun piece of decor. When you’re done, you’ve created your own little oasis. (PS – if you’re looking for a cover for your computer, I’ve received lots of compliments since I replaced my old one with this one.)

5 // Ease Into Your Goals

I get it! You have your goals and you’re so excited to get started with them that you want to do everything and make every change Right. Now. Been there! I’ve had those starts to the year. Get up early on January 1 (even though you were up late the night before ringing in the New Year), write a blog post, read the first chapter of Genesis, journal, work on a novel for an hour, work out, edit a poem, get some hobby time in and paint, post on Instagram, read a chapter of a book, yoga it out, spend some time in prayer and… how is it 1 a.m. already? Guess I’ll start working on going to bed earlier tomorrow.

It’s not realistic to do All The Things and make All The Changes on the first day. Take a step or two at a time. Your goals will still be there tomorrow.

6 // Diffuse Essential Oils

2017 was the year I went from a casual “breathe blend, lemon, and peppermint oil plz” person to a bona fide oily girl. I’ve found that diffusing oils can make a room feel different—and fresh! You can diffuse lemon to get that “freshly cleaned” scent. I even have a friend who has diffused lemon essential oil because she hasn’t cleaned before people have come over and they always think she has! Eucalyptus totally creates a spa feel. My favorite blend these days? Eucalyptus and pine, sometimes with peppermint thrown in. The first time I used this I drew a bath and started diffusing these oils. I stepped out while the water was running and when I walked back into the bathroom it smelled/felt AMAZING. It immediately elevated this to favorite blend status. If you’re not quite ready to let go of Christmas, diffuse pine and orange. It’s better than a Christmas candle! (PS – my favorite diffuser. If I spend a night away from home, this little guy comes with me.)

How do you refresh your life for a new year?