Feel your Fresh start in the air.
Crisp early mornings. A change of light throughout the day. The sun is a bit higher, giving off some warmth when least expected.
Longer evenings and in some places, you can even hear the birds singing louder than usual.
Little by little, we shed our layers, replacing them with a joyous feeling of lightness.
Yep, spring is here.
But most important it’s time to get a fresh start in the way we deal with things.
And it all starts with a thought and an action.
1. Enjoy the simple things
Even the busiest human aspires to keep things simple.
But it’s hard, of course, especially when you have too much to do and who doesn’t?
You get caught up in obligations, problems, or projects, leaving little time to stop and reflect on the best course of action.
But time flies, and the problems needing attention keep multiplying. We run after solutions multi-tasking to infinity and, in the end, get nowhere.
Maybe a fresh start includes sorting out priorities and letting go.
Related: Benefits of Simple Living.
2. Get to know yourself better
Do you really know who you are?
For a fresh start, face the mirror and get to know your true self.
This exercise may help:
- Sit alone for 15 minutes. Don’t think of everything you have to do, sit with paper and pen.
- Take the time to explore your likes and dislikes. Really. Dig deeper.
- List randomly what brings a smile to your face, what you enjoy, what you’re passionate about, or simply what fuels your heart, even in the smallest way.
- Don’t list any “musts, shoulds, have to… ” Just explore who you are.
If you’re having a hard time, imagine you meet yourself for the first time. Introduce yourself, ask questions, be curious.
Truly evaluate what you’re made of. It’s between you and you.
3. Practice gratitude
When you’re grateful, even for the smallest thing, your perspective shifts.
It’s a fresh start each time you express your gratitude.
It’s been proven repeatedly that when you have a daily gratitude practice, you start regaining more control over what happens in your life.
Even in difficult situations (and of course, we all have them), you feel less overwhelmed with a positive attitude.
Related: The Perfect Gratitude Journal
4. Get quality sleep
Whatever the season, you can literally guarantee a fresh start each morning when you follow a healthy sleep rhythm.
Sleep seriously affects your ability to concentrate, to focus and get things done.
It also messes with your mood. Lack of sleep equals bad mood. And an irregular sleep schedule impacts pretty much everything in your life.
Take it seriously.
Related: Implement a healthy sleep rhythm.
5. Declutter your home
Give yourself a fresh start by making space. Breathing space!
Is there a perfect time to spring clean across the board?
Yes. Now.
This includes the pile of papers on the kitchen counter, the overflowing closets, and things you no longer use or care about.
It’s an overwhelming project but start small to keep that stress under control.
Here are 2 simple ways to start:
- You can either set a timer for 15 minutes and, without overthinking, put as much as you can in a bag – to give or throw out.
- Or you can set a specific number of items to declutter daily. Maybe 10? 20? It’s your call.
Related: How to let go of stuff
6. Start taking care of yourself
How do you take care of yourself?
Maybe you focus on others first and only then give yourself a few minutes?
People depend on you, I know. But you deplete your energy when you put yourself last, and that’s a problem.
As part of your fresh start, give yourself what you want, what you need by making time for yourself.
Yes, time for you. Repeat. Time for you.
Start with the 3 tips in the article below.
Related: 3 Ways to Take Care of Yourself
7. Get a fresh start on knowledge
Learning something new for the first time can be intimidating.
But if you’ve had the idea in the back of your mind, well, now is the time to bring it forward.
Whether it’s a new language, how to knit, maybe some yoga postures?
Or how to make the perfect cup of tea?
Or even learn how to write!
Your fresh start is waiting in the kitchen, at your desk, on top of a mountain or simply with a how to book.
8. Forgive Yourself
There’s a lot to be said about forgiving others.
What they’ve done, their bad behavior, and how they’ve hurt you.
But I believe the most important person you need to learn to forgive is yourself.
That’s where your emotional fresh start begins.
Forgive yourself for the things that went wrong, and learn to quiet that inner negative voice.
Understand that each mistake is an opportunity to learn – and not to hammer criticism over your head.
Journaling can help in accepting who you are and processing certain emotions which are hard to let go of.
Try to build a writing habit. A few lines daily about how you feel is enough.
To help, I’ve made a useful journal tracker for you.
9. Talk nice to yourself
How do you talk to yourself?
Really, have you ever noticed the words you use, or the tone, or even the implicit meaning you fuel your mind with daily?
It’s not always pretty right?
Would you talk to a friend this way?
Would you be so hard if someone you loved came to you for comfort or a few words of wisdom in a hard situation?
You probably wouldn’t react the same way.
So why do you consider yourself in a negative way?
When it comes to self-esteem or building up your confidence, it’s a fresh start every day. And that’s fine. It takes time to love oneself.
Related: Improve your self-esteem
What does Your Fresh start look like?
Spring comes around every year, and every year the feeling is the same.
This powerful springtime energy makes me want to shed my winter coat and everything else weighing me down, be it physically or emotionally.
It all starts with a thought followed by an action.
So what does your fresh start look like?
And which thoughts will actually take you where we really want to go?
Decide what you want for yourself. Begin with a positive thought followed by an action—even very tiny actions.
The rest will follow.
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