Try This Mid-Year Reset and Breathe Again
Lighten yourself—mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually
Could you benefit from a mid-year reset—not just a physical declutter, but a brief reassessment of one or more realms of your life?
Maybe a negative thought pattern has taken up residence in the contours of your brain. Maybe you’re single-mindedly headed in a direction that once seemed absolutely right, but now whispers of doubt cloud your mind. Maybe the tools you once loved have lost their effectiveness, making you less productive.
If you don’t pause and reassess, you could end up in the wrong place or no place at all—far from the reality of what you truly want.
When mid-year arrives, I take a moment to ask: “What isn’t working optimally in my life?” Then I pause, reassess, and purge the unnecessary, ineffective, and de-motivating elements that no longer serve me.
This is my template and the deeper questions I ask to create a mid-year declutter. Feel free to steal them and lighten up your life too.
7-Part Mid-Year Declutter
Look, you don’t have to do every part of this declutter. I haven’t done it all at once. But I liked making a comprehensive plan I could use going forward.
Just start with one area. Once you accomplish that, move on to the next if you have time.
Pick the category that would be the easiest to accomplish. Or choose an area that feels urgent, though it might take more time and energy to address.
Just make it work for you.
1. Goals
You could start with the goals you set at the beginning of the year. We’re not static beings. Just because you set a goal on January 1 or at any time doesn’t mean you’re required to achieve it or that it remains relevant.
Ask yourself:
Are these goals still relevant? Is something new and different calling me?
Am I making progress towards each one?
If progress has stalled on any particular goal, why is that? What do I need to shift to give more attention to that goal? Should I ditch it altogether?
Refresh your goals. De-clutter the ones that no longer seem relevant.
Updated goals can re-inspire and re-motivate you. They can take you where you truly want to go.
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”—Lao Tzu
2. Your Beautiful Mind
Your mind can be your best friend or worst enemy. To make it your best friend requires regular attention and adjustments.
Ask yourself:
How is my mind? Am I usually calm and grounded or scattered and stressed?
What mental stories are getting in my way? How will I counter them?
Where am I giving my time and attention? Is this what I truly value?
If you spend more time on Animal Crossing than exercise, reading, or achieving your true goals, you might want to change that up. If you indulge in negative self-talk, cut it out. If you’re constantly stressed, learn stress management.
The mind is pliable. It’s up to you to shape it the way you want.
“You have power over your mind—not external events. Realize this and you will find strength.”—Marcus Aurelius
3. Your Physical Environment
Unless you’re totally oblivious, your physical environment influences your emotional and mental state. The right environment can help you stay focused and productive. It can also save time and energy.
Everyone’s preferences are different. Some feel held by a cozy space filled with heartfelt memorabilia. Others prefer a zen-like ambiance.
One way is not better. You just need to know what works best for you, and then arrange your home and work spaces accordingly, when possible.
Ask yourself:
Do you enjoy your physical environment?
Does your physical environment support or distract you?
Has clutter gotten out of hand?
The right changes in your environment can definitely uplift your spirits.
For example, maybe you just want to add some colorful cushions to the couch. Or maybe you want to make a home for all your important items (like keys, eyeglasses, and thumb drives) so they’re not constantly lost. Maybe you feel frustrated by physical clutter and decide to declutter one important space—your desktop, spice rack, or medicine cabinet.
And if you want a deep dive into the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of home, I’ve explored that in this piece: Are You Happy with Your Sense of Home?
You don’t have to reset your entire house at once. Just choose a few potent ways to declutter or smart changes that will make a significant difference in your degree of comfort at home or at work.
“It’s the sweet simple things in life which are the real ones after all.”—Laura Ingalls Wilder
4. Your Beautiful Heart
Indulging endlessly in strong emotions can make everything else fall apart.
When you seethe with anger, encase yourself in guilt, or get caught in the comparison, you can end up in hours and even days of emotional pain.
But with self-awareness, you can learn to transform emotions so they don’t become impediments in your life.
Take care of your heart. Check in with it regularly.
Ask yourself:
How is my heart?
Do I have unfinished emotional business?
Are there boundaries to be set or unsaid words that need to be expressed?
As with thoughts, we can learn to shape our emotional field too. Declutter the emotional baggage and your energy will soar.
“Every feeling is a field of energy. A pleasant feeling is an energy that can nourish. Irritation is a feeling that can destroy. Under the light of awareness, the energy of awareness can be transformed into an energy which nourishes.”—Thich Nhat Hanh
5. Your Physical Body
It’s easy to neglect the body in pursuit of other goals. But good health can determine whether you have the energy to create the life you want. You may not realize how much you harm yourself by burning the midnight oil until it’s too late.
Ask yourself:
Am I getting a good night’s sleep more often than not?
Do my food habits give me energy or deplete it?
Does my exercise routine include aerobic and strength training elements and meet the recommended weekly time requirements?
There are many other ways to care for your health, from flossing to annual physicals to standing up once an hour.
Most importantly, remove negative habits that drain your energy and potentially damage your health. Then consider replacing them with positive ones.
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live in.” — Jim Rohn
6. Your Digital Domain
The digital age has added a new dimension of clutter that quickly overwhelms and distracts. Have you ever searched for an important e-mail in an overcrowded in-box? I have, a little too often. And when I have, I always felt it was such a waste of time!
Ask Yourself:
Am I spending too much time online focused on the unimportant and unnecessary?
Is it time to clean up my e-mail inbox, clear my computer desktop, or remove unused apps from my digital space?
Do I need to use an app to help me focus and block distractions? What about a digital detox?
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes. Including you.” — Anne Lamott
7. Your Spirit
If you think you die and that’s the end, this section may not be relevant to you. But even if that’s your firm belief, you may still recognize there’s an inner wisdom that’s helped you time and again.
How could you nourish it so that clarity became the norm rather than an occasional visitor?
Whether you call it soul, spirit, or inner wisdom, your essence needs to be fed to function as a vital force in your life.
Ask yourself:
Do I set aside regular quiet time to nourish my spirit?
When I face a challenge, do I look within or seek answers outside of myself?
Do I need a longer break to renew my spirit?
This body will die. No one knows for certain what will continue on. But if it is indeed spirit, soul, or consciousness, doesn’t it make sense to care for it now?
“You have the need and the right to spend part of your life caring for your soul. It is not easy. You have to resist the demands of the work-oriented, often defensive, element in your psyche that measures life only in terms of output—how much you produce—not in terms of the quality of your life experiences.”—Jean Shinoda Bolen
Ready To Let Go of the Excess?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to cast off the excess that clogs up your life?
I know it has made a world of difference every time I’ve given it a go.
It’s not just the physical stuff that gets in the way. We also need to pay attention to the mental and emotional baggage that weighs us down and blocks us from creating the life we really want.
You don’t have to overwhelm yourself with a massive reset or declutter. Just pick one aspect or one area of your life and begin. See if you can make it fun or give yourself a delightful reward once you’ve made a dent.
Imagine the sense of lightness you’ll feel when you declutter the unnecessary, the unhelpful, and the irrelevant. You deserve that degree of joy and freedom—and even more.
Your turn: I would love to hear from you. Do you do regular resets in your life? What are your thoughts about a mid-year reset?
Until Next Time
Just a few weeks ago, I felt like my year of healing had begun. Now, I’m stuck in rotating pain flares that make it difficult to do much.
For now, I’ve adopted an attitude of surrender. I’ve been doing less, resting more, and exploring how to heal chronic pain. More on that another time.
Would you please help me out? Since I’ve been less active on Substack, fewer people have been seeing my writing. Your likes (❤️), comments, and shares help my articles reach more people. I’d be so grateful for your support!
As always, I deeply appreciate your presence and support.
Until next time, stay safe and take care. Sending you all my love and best wishes.
xo Sandra
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P.S. A reset often begins with reflection. If you’re looking for a beautiful place to capture insights, intentions, plans, or creative ideas, explore my collection of twenty tropical composition notebooks from Wild Arisings Press.
I don't do any kind of planned reset. I usually come to an intuitive realization that something is out of balance and needs to shift. At the moment I'm in some big life shifts and I'm not pushing for answers so much as I'm doing a lot of small steps and noticing where they're leading me.
Sometimes I get anxious and feel like I need an answer right away. But over the years I've learned the answers emerge when I need them and I can be patient and enjoy where I'm at.
Never thought I'd sound so "zen" because I've always been someone who gets stuff done but when we allow it to, experience really does offer wise perspective. A gift of aging.
Your advice here is so clear and so useful. I imagine most of us who have been on a spiritual path for a while, would agree with just about every point. I also imagine that most of us would be glad for the reminders even if we are already trying to live this way, because we so often fall short.