Why and How I’m Taking a Month to Pause and Reset

EPISODE #356

I'm focusing on five things this month: my home, my health, my relationships, my happiness, and my business. If any of that sounds familiar, keep reading.

I've never taken a full month to reset before. I do a monthly reset at the end of each month, and I've been doing it for years. I've honed it down to something simple. I take the last week of the month to get clear on what's working and aligned to my future, what isn't, and then I create a simple plan for the month ahead. Focus on this, don't focus on that. I write it out and I move forward.

But this month felt different. I needed more time. Not to get things done, but to be in my life. To ask myself better questions. To stop rushing through everything and actually sit with what's not working before I blow past it again.

The Signs I Needed a Reset

I am unorganized, and that is not my style. I have piles of notes and papers that give me anxiety and honestly mess with my sleep. I've been using the word busy, which I never use, and every time I say it I know it's just my way of saying I'll deal with that later. I'm unclear on what I'm actually working on and I've been trying to do way too much. I'm tired of looking at areas in my home that need attention and are getting none of it. And right now, I don't really know what makes me happy. I know I have things that make me happy, but I want to get clear on them and stop giving myself a giant bucket list of things I have to do to feel good.

And when all of that piles up, my sleep suffers. Badly. When I'm unorganized, unclear, and doing too much without finishing anything, I am up at 4:30am and not getting back to sleep. Just mapping out this reset last week changed that. I've been sleeping. I'm waking up later. And the difference in my day, my mood, and my energy is everything.

I believe sleep is everything. If there is anything I can do to protect it, I will do it.

How I Organized My Reset

I started with the why, because without it a reset is just another thing on the list.

My why: I want to be more present in my life so I sleep well, feel clear, and move into the rest of 2026 with specific goals and direction instead of looking up in September wondering where the year went.

One simple rule: this is a clarity month. A month to wipe the slate clean. Get a few things done but not all of it. The theme is clarity and direction, not productivity.

My Five Categories

Home

I need to get clear on the home projects we want to tackle. We moved in June of 2025 and we haven't done the things we said we'd do. I have mood boards that have already changed, so I'm starting over with those. And I know exactly what the first project is: the medicine cabinet in our bathroom needs to go. It's rusted on the bottom and I see it every single day. Small thing, but getting it out will catch momentum and that's exactly what I need right now.

Beyond that, my husband and I have scheduled what we are calling our get our shit together date. A morning at the dining room table with coffee where we dump everything out. Finances, financial goals, personal goals for the rest of the year, vacation plans. And then a weekly date, non-negotiable, to stay connected and on track. We used to do this and somewhere along the way we stopped. It's time to bring it back.

Health

I'm investing more time in figuring out what spiritual health means for me right now. Taking real mental health breaks throughout the week, not just the idea of them. Dialing in my nutrition so it actually supports the effort I'm putting into my workouts. I like repetition in my meals and it works for me, but things have gotten a little stagnant so I want to bring some new life into what we're eating for dinner. And I'm getting more diligent about scheduling the appointments I keep putting off for myself.

Relationships

May is the perfect month for this. It's my son Spencer's birthday, my father-in-law's birthday, Mother's Day, and our 27th wedding anniversary on the 29th. We got married in 1999. I can barely believe that. This month will be for family, for showing up with no phones, just being intentional about celebrating the people I love.

I'm also calendaring calls with old friends who aren't in my area, because those friendships matter and they don't maintain themselves. And I'm actively seeking out community, both online for women who are building businesses in midlife and in person in my area. I joined a local Facebook group, which is very new for me, and I'm already meeting women nearby. Baby steps, but they're steps.

Happiness

This is the most honest category and probably the most important one. I'm happy. I'm also unhappy. Both are true right now and I'm 58 years old and not interested in pretending otherwise.

I want to get clear on what actually brings me joy and stop giving myself a long list of things I think should make me happy. To do this I'm going to spend time in conversation with myself on walks, asking the simple question: does this make you happy? And being more intentional about recognizing and letting go of the things that don't.

Everything in this reset is about awareness. When we have awareness we can make changes. And we can also give ourselves credit for everything that is already working, because we don't always have to be in a state of working on ourselves. I gave myself that break this year. Now I'm ready to come back to it with fresh eyes.

Business

I've been in the online space since 2018 and I won't pretend it hasn't changed dramatically. The things that used to work don't work the same way anymore in some areas, and I've given myself time since last summer to reflect on that. I'm okay with it. I'm okay with changing things that aren't working for me or for the women in my community.

I'm restructuring Elevate, my membership community, and it's something I should have done a while ago. There needs to be a dedicated space for women in their first year of living alcohol-free and a separate space for women who are beyond that first year, because those are two completely different conversations. After all the years I've been doing this work I finally had the aha moment and now I'm going in to make it right. Elevate will be opening again in mid-June and I'm genuinely excited about what it's going to be.

Make a Reset Work for You

A month-long reset isn't something you have to wait for. You don't have to start on the first of the month. You don't have to explain it to anyone. If you're in a place where things aren't making sense, where you're telling yourself you don't have time for this, where you keep looking up and another month has gone, that might be exactly your sign.

It could be a reset day. A reset week. A full month like I'm doing. Whatever feels right for where you are. The point is to pull yourself out of the loop, give yourself actual time, and ask the questions you keep telling yourself you'll get to later.

Time is one of our greatest assets. Using it to get clear, to sleep better, to feel like yourself again, that's not selfish. That's necessary.

Everyone is going to be okay. Especially you, because you took the time to pause.