6 Simple and Relaxing Ways You Can Treat Yourself on a Reset Day

Happy New Year! If you haven’t already take a deep breath. You survived another holiday season. While the holidays are a festive time of year they can be exhausting. That’s why I love scheduling myself a reset day early in the new year. 

What’s a reset day? It’s basically a day all for you. A chance to unwind and do things that relax you. It can be an entire day or an afternoon. It can be as simple as going for a mani/pedi or something as big as spending a day at a local spa.

I love using a reset day as a way to ease myself into the new year and all the goals and events it will include. What I do varies depending on what I’m in the mood for, but I thought I’d share some ways you can spend a reset day.

What are some things you can do on a reset day?

#1 — Spa day

One of my favorite places to visit every now and then is the Sojo Spa Club. It’s a day spa located 20 minutes outside of New York City. It’s a multi-level, all-season spa. My cousin and I particularly enjoy going together as we’re both small business owners and could use the break every now and then.

Day spas are a great way to spend a reset day because it is the ultimate level of relaxation. Between the pools, saunas, and massages, you can’t go wrong. If you don’t have a day spa near you, you can always opt for an in-home spa day. 

Get together with a few girlfriends and go to someone’s house. Make some DIY face masks. Pitch in together and hire a massage therapist to come over. Create a spa-like ambiance with music and lighting. Set the atmosphere and enjoy the time — preferably with a glass of wine. You’ll feel like a brand new woman.

#2 — Catch up on reading

If spas aren’t your thing, another activity you can do on a reset day is read. Do you have a pile of books collecting dust on a nightstand or bookshelf? Today’s the day to pick one of them up and crack open the spine. Maybe two depending on how fast you read.

To ensure you’re not interrupted by loved ones, take the book and a few snacks to a park or go to a coffee shop. Even a bookstore. Taking a few hours to simply sit and read is a great way to unwind. Your mind enters the world of the book you’re reading and you become invested in their journey.

#3 — Binge-watch a show

If TV shows are more your go-to form of entertainment, you can spend a reset day binge-watching that show you’ve been meaning to catch up on. I for one have a list of shows I need to watch. So instead of cramming an episode in when you should be sleeping, use your reset day to watch the entire series.

Don’t have any TV shows to catch up on? Then binge-watch a few movies. Eight hours of TV episodes equals about 4-5 movies depending on their length. Make yourself a bowl of popcorn, gather some snacks, dim the lights, and immerse yourself in a fictional world.

#4 — Plan your new year goals

Some people might prefer to use their reset day as a chance to brainstorm and plan out goals they have for the coming year. That’s okay! If planning is your way to unwind, by all means, go for it. Personally, I love planning. I find it to be very cathartic, especially since I’m getting all of my to-dos and goals out of my head and onto paper.

Because this is a reset day, don’t go too crazy. Keep your planning to a minimum. By that I mean take some time to brain dump all the stuff you want to accomplish and note what you need to do to get them done. If you want to set deadlines, go for it, but make sure to take a few minutes every now and then to do something easy.

One thing I like to do is brain dump my to-dos and goals for 25 minutes, then watch an episode of a TV show. When that’s over, I’ll brainstorm for another 25 minutes and so on. It’s a mix of productivity and relaxation.

#5 — Declutter or tidy up

Another labor-intensive thing you can do on a reset day is to declutter and/or tidy up your house. Believe it or not, some people love organizing. It’s their ultimate form of relaxation. I am one of those people. While organizing and decluttering do take some mental work, the results massively impact my mood. There’s nothing like a clean, fresh space.

Again, don’t take it to the extreme where you’re deep cleaning your house. Unless cleaning is your way to unwind. Instead, do a little decluttering and tidying up. Use your reset day as a space reset. You’ll feel amazing knowing everything is in its proper home. Then turn on the TV or crack open a book.

#6 — Reflect

You all know how important journaling is to me. The fact that you’re reading this post on my One Page a Day website is proof of that. And so it should come as no surprise that another fun thing you can do on a reset day is to reflect.

This can mean a few different things. You can journal, though if you journal daily this won’t add much to your reset day. Instead, consider pulling out all your filled journals. Spend a few hours reading through old entries. There’s something nostalgic about reading past journals. It gives you insight into where you were mentally compared to where you are now.

I love going back and reading goal-specific entries. For example, finding entries where I first talked about something I wanted to accomplish and then finding subsequent entries that showed my progress up until the entry where I wrote about finishing it. It definitely makes for a fun read.

There you go. Six things you can do on a reset day. Mind you, there are tons of other activities you can do. The point is to do stuff that relaxes you and doesn’t require a lot of thinking, decision-making, or effort. This day is all about unwinding so make sure you focus on doing things that help you reach and maintain that level of relaxation.

One thing I want to make clear about a reset day: don’t feel guilty for not doing anything productive. I used to feel awful when I’d sit and binge-watch eight hours of a show instead of working towards my goals. Now, I know my brain needs this kind of rest and I welcome it. 

So don’t feel bad for taking a day or a few hours for yourself. The cliche is true: you can’t hope to take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself. So schedule that reset day and enjoy the hell out of it.

Have you ever scheduled a reset day? Will you now after reading this post? What are some ways you love to unwind and relax? Comment below with how you spend your reset day and let’s inspire each other to every now and then take a day — or at least a few hours — for ourselves.