Time to Reflect and Reset: A Gentle Guide to Starting the Year with Intention
A gentle end-of-year check-in for clarity, calm, and intention.
Every year leaves traces, moments that shaped you, stretched you, surprised you and reminded you of who you are. Before you rush into what’s next, this is your invitation to pause. To look back with gentle curiosity and look forward with intention.
And to do that well, it helps to create a small ritual around it.
Find a time and a physical space where you can relax, feel safe, and unhurried. Maybe it’s a quiet corner of your home, your favourite park bench, or a café where you can tuck into a booth with your headphones in. Give yourself permission to unplug, slow down, and be fully present with your thoughts and feelings.
Use this worksheet as a companion, a quiet moment to check in, recalibrate and reconnect with the person you want to be in the months and year ahead.
1. Arrive
Take a slow breath in and out.
Notice your body, your breath, the space around you.
Let yourself land, lightly and with curiosity.
2. Looking Back With Curiosity
Gently check in with your year, no judgement, just noticing.
a. What mattered?
- When did you feel most alive, connected, or “like yourself”?
- Which moments reflect your values and what matters most to you?
b. What was hard?
- When did you feel stuck, stressed or overwhelmed?
- What did those moments reveal about what you truly care about, or where you may need more support or boundaries?
c. What did you learn?
- About what supports or sustains you?
- About what pulls you away from the person you want to be?
- About what you could change – or gently accept – to live more aligned with your values?
3. Letting Go
Create some space for yourself by asking:
- “What am I willing to set down or let go of?”
- “What I no longer need to struggle with is…”
Maybe it’s a habit (doom-scrolling before bed), a mindset (constant comparison), a relationship dynamic, or an expectation you’ve been carrying around for too long. Letting go isn’t giving up, it’s making room.
4. Values as Your Compass
a. Who do you want to be in 2026?
Kind? Steady? Brave? Connected? Honest? Creative?
Choose the qualities that feel true and energising.
b. Which values will guide your actions?
Pick 2–3 values (more about how to find your values here) that matter most right now (here’s a link to our article about finding your values).
c. If you lived one day fully aligned with those values, what would you do, say, focus on?
Let this be a guide when decisions feel blurry or life gets loud.
5. Committed (Tiny) Actions
Choose 2–3 small, doable actions that move you toward your values. Think about your important life domains, family, relationships, work, study, finances, exercise, leisure, and pick an action in 1–3 areas.
Keep them tiny: the 5-minute version. Treat them as experiments: notice what happens, what works, and what needs adjusting.
Examples:
- Spend 5 minutes outside, without your phone.
- Message one friend you miss.
- Put $10 into savings or debt repayment.
- Do a 3-minute breathing exercise after work.
Tiny steps, repeated consistently, create meaningful change.
6. Your Anchor for the Year
Choose a brief phrase you can return to when things get noisy. Examples:
- “Come back to what matters.”
- “Small steps.”
- “Stay open and curious.”
- “Kind and steady.”
- “Say yes.”
- “Don’t rush.”
This becomes an affirmation, a grounding sentence you can return to when you forget what you’re trying to build.
7. Your First Step (This Week)
What is one tiny action you’re willing to take in the next 7 days to move toward your valued direction?
- Name it.
- Make it doable.
- Let it be enough.
Why This Matters
Taking a moment to pause, reflect, and reset is a simple but powerful way to start the year with intention. When we take stock of what mattered, what we learned, and what we want to carry forward, we create space for clarity, purpose, and calm.
Reflection isn’t about judging yourself or the past, it’s about noticing what works, what brings you joy, and what aligns with the person you want to be. By identifying your values, setting small, achievable actions, and choosing an anchor phrase, you give yourself a compass to navigate the months ahead with confidence and ease.
Starting the year grounded in awareness helps you step into it with more focus, energy, and a sense of direction, rather than rushing blindly into resolutions or expectations. It’s about celebrating progress, learning from experience, and creating your own rhythm for the year ahead.
A Final Thought
Life moves fast, and it’s easy to get swept along by the momentum of the new year. Taking even a few quiet minutes to reflect, recalibrate, and reconnect with yourself is a gift, a way to move forward intentionally, with clarity and purpose.
This is your invitation to start the year not by doing more, but by pausing, noticing, and choosing small, steady steps that matter to you. Let this moment of reflection be the foundation for a year where you show up fully, curious, calm, and connected to what truly matters.
If you’d like extra support reflecting, setting intentions, or taking meaningful steps toward the life you want, a psychologist can help, through therapy or coaching, you can make this year your best one yet.
