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TLDR: When life turns to, well, shit, it is time for a life reset. I’ve honestly done this many times over the last five years since my ultimate rock bottom, so let that be your proof that this guide on how to do a life reset will work for you so that you can finally leave that toxic ex (wild guess) in the past once and for all.
Life gets messy. Like really messy. One day you wake up and realize you’re just… going through the motions. Tired. Burnt out. Stuck in a cycle you don’t even like anymore. And all you can think is, something has to change.
That’s what a reset is. Not a Pinterest-perfect makeover. Not a “hot girl summer” glow up. A reset is when you look at your life and say, this isn’t working, I need to start over.
I call it Ground Zero.
Ground Zero isn’t failure. It isn’t weakness. It’s where you strip everything down to the basics and start building again. Brick by boring brick.
And I’m gonna walk you through exactly how to do it.
What a Life Reset Really Means
Resetting your life doesn’t mean you magically wake up tomorrow with everything figured out. I wish it worked like that. It doesn’t.
It’s not glamorous. It’s not a 30-day glow-up. It’s not hitting the gym five days a week and suddenly becoming “that girl.”
Resetting your life means showing up for the smallest, dumbest little steps when you don’t want to. It means building boring consistency into your days even when everything in you is screaming for the quick fix.
For me, my Ground Zero moment was sitting outside of a hospital. I had just fought with my kids’ dad again and I didn’t know what to do. Go inside and risk losing them? Go home and keep living like this? Neither option felt like living.
That was my reset point. I didn’t have it all figured out. I just knew something had to change.
And if you’re here, reading this? That’s your reset moment too.
Myths About Resetting Your Life
Before we get into the “how,” let’s break down the lies you’ve probably told yourself. I know them well. I lived them.
Myth #1: I need to feel motivated first.
Nope. Motivation doesn’t knock on your door one morning like, “Hey girl, ready to change your whole life today?” You act first. Then motivation shows up later.
Myth #2: I have to fix everything at once.
I tried this. Quit drinking, quit smoking, started a diet, and joined a gym all at once. Guess how long that lasted? About a week. Resetting works when you choose one or two things at a time and actually let them stick.
Myth #3: I need a perfect plan.
Listen, I love a good color-coded notebook. But I learned the hard way that clarity doesn’t come from sitting around writing the perfect five-year plan. It comes from doing. From showing up. From trying.
The First Steps to Reset Your Life
Here’s what actually got me moving again when I felt completely stuck. Not a 30-day reset challenge. Not a perfect morning routine. Just boring little things I forced myself to do every day.
1 | Gratitude
When I first started journaling, I thought it was stupid. I didn’t want to sit there and write things like “I’m grateful for my kids” or “I’m grateful for coffee.” It felt forced.
But then one day I wrote, “I’m grateful for the ten quiet minutes before anyone else woke up.” That one line hit me. It was small, but it was real.
That’s when it clicked: it doesn’t have to be profound. It just has to be honest.
So I kept doing it. One line every morning. Some days it was “the sun is out.” Some days it was “I made it through yesterday.”
My daughter even started joining me, shouting out things she were grateful for at breakfast. That became the start of a real shift.
2 | Water Before Coffee
I’m a coffee-first, coffee-always person. But one of my non-negotiables became drinking water before I let myself pour that first cup. At first, it was just a way to prove I could do one small healthy thing. Over time, it became a ritual.
Now, water before coffee is how I remind myself that I’m capable of showing up for myself. Even when everything else feels like chaos, I can do that one small thing.
It sounds dumb, I know. But if you can start your day with one choice that benefits you, it builds momentum for the rest.
3 | Move for Five Minutes
Walking outside saved me. In the beginning, I didn’t go far. I’d step out onto the porch with my coffee. Or I’d walk one block and come back.
Eventually, it became a full daily walk. Sometimes I listened to podcasts (Mel Robbins was my go-to), sometimes I left my headphones at home and just breathed.
The point wasn’t exercise. It was reminding myself that the world was still turning, that there was sunshine and fresh air and something bigger than my own head. Those walks carried me through the worst days.
4 | Take Your Meds
This was the hardest one for me to accept. For years, I fought the idea of medication. I thought I could “fix myself.” I thought taking meds meant I was weak.
I wish I could go back and shake myself. Because taking my meds consistently changed everything. My rule became simple: take them with my morning coffee, and again with my magnesium mocktail at night. Non-negotiable. No excuses.
I’ll tell you the truth: the days I tried to skip them, I paid for it. I was reminded over and over that this wasn’t optional. And once I stopped fighting it and made it a part of my reset routine, my brain finally had the space to heal.
5 | Say One Kind Thing to Yourself
For most of my life, I was my own worst bully. The things I said to myself in my head were things I would never say to another human being.
My therapist told me to start flipping the script. At first, it felt impossible. But I tried. Instead of “I’m a terrible mom,” I’d say, “I’m a mom who’s learning.” Instead of “I’m lazy,” I’d say, “I’m tired, but I’m trying.”
One day, I caught my kids repeating some of the affirmations I had been saying in the mirror. That moment nearly broke me in the best way. Because if they could believe those things about themselves, maybe I could believe them too.
Why Small Resets Work Better Than Big Overhauls
I used to think I had to change everything all at once. That’s why I kept failing.
The truth? The small stuff is what saves you. The water before coffee. The 5-minute walk. The one kind thought. The journal page.
Because every single time you do one of those things, you’re proving to yourself that you’re capable of change. And when your brain believes you can change, you actually start changing.
That’s why small resets matter. They’re sustainable. They don’t burn you out. They stick.
FAQs About Resetting Your Life
As long as it takes. Mine didn’t happen in a week or a month. It took years to get here. But the first signs of hope came within weeks of starting small.
Not everyone does, but therapy was the best decision I ever made. My therapist gave me tools I still use every single day.
Whatever you’ll actually do. Gratitude, water, meds, a walk, a sticky note affirmation on your mirror. Don’t overthink it.
You will. I did too. A reset doesn’t get ruined because you missed a day. The only “failure” is giving up entirely.
Here’s the truth: resetting your life won’t look glamorous. It’ll look like water before coffee. Walks around the block. Meds with your morning cup. Gratitude scribbled into a half-used notebook.
But that boring, repetitive stuff? That’s the magic. That’s the reset.
If you have been going through the motions, spiraling, or telling yourself you will “start Monday,” this is your sign. The Girl, Get Up Challenge gives you one doable action a day so you can rebuild momentum without pressure. It counts even if your win is brushing your teeth.
If you’re ready for more guidance, I made the Ground Zero Kit with the exact worksheets I used when I was rebuilding. And if you just want a no-BS weekly check-in, grab coffee with me in my inbox through my Have Coffee With Me emails.
Love, your new bestie.
