Feeling Off Track? Here’s Your Mid-Year Reset
7 simple ways to pause, check in, and realign
Dear C-Athlete
It’s the middle of the year already. How are you doing?
Nope, not the “busy but good!” response we toss around on autopilot. I mean—how are you really doing?
If you’ve been feeling like your inner compass is a little off, your energy uneven, or your spark somewhat dimmed, this one’s for you.
High performers are great at pushing through. But sometimes, what we actually need is a pause, a gentle check-in with ourselves. So before we charge into Q3 with our usual gusto, here’s a mid-year reset—one that doesn’t require a full overhaul of your life or moving to Bali (though tempting :-).
Here are seven ways to pause and reconnect with yourself, using your senses, your body, and your breath.
1. Awareness: It Starts with You
Let’s begin by checking in. Not with inbox or your to-do list, but with yourself.
What’s the quality of your thoughts lately? Are they anxious, self-critical, hopeful, distracted? Are you jumping from one task to the next without even realising it?
Now scan your body. Where are you holding tension? Where are you feeling the aches? Your jaw, neck, shoulders, lower back?
Often, what feels like mental fatigue is your body quietly waving a flag.
Awareness isn’t passive—it’s powerful. In that quiet noticing, we can create space for ourselves.
Try a 2-minute body scan meditation.
2. Engage Your Five Senses
Our senses are gateways—not just to the world, but to ourselves. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected or numb, here’s how you can return to the present moment through the five doors of perception.
Grounding Practice (5-4-3-2-1)
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Sight
Our eyes are often overstimulated and undernourished. We’re flooded with screens, headlines, notifications—and very little visual rest.
Instead of scrolling through your mobile phone, watch the sky change colours or look up a tree.
Visual stillness resets our systems. Even a few minutes of green or spaciousness can slow the nervous system down.
Touch
Touch calms the nervous system, eases stress and anxiety, and even helps with physical pain—all while fostering a deep sense of safety and connection. That’s because physical touch triggers the release of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine—our body’s natural mood lifters and stress relievers.
EFT Tapping: Gentle tapping on acupressure points can help disrupt stress loops and re-centre you. It’s quick, simple, and surprisingly effective—especially when emotions start to feel overwhelming.
Massage or reflexology: Whether it’s booking a full-body massage, using a handheld tool for a quick shoulder rub, or slipping your feet into a reflexology machine at home, these small body-based resets can help release tension your mind may not even be aware of.
Hug it out: Hug someone you love—or yourself. Wrap your arms around your body and say, “I am enough.” It may sound small, but the emotional impact can be surprisingly larger than you think.
Sound
When our minds are noisy and logic fails us, we can try letting the frequencies lead.
Listen to music that inspires or grounds us. Nature sounds, singing bowls, or birdsong can bring us back to presence. Or, simply sit in silence and let our breath be the rhythm.
Smell
Scent can shift our state almost instantly.
The smell of nature, from the sea to fresh flowers and chlorophyll, can have a deep grounding effect. Essential oils and aromoatheraphy, such as lavender and peppermint. are proven to promote a sense of relaxation and clarity. Even our morning coffee can become a mini ritual if we bring our full attention to it.
Taste
Eating and drinking can be grounding or distracting. So much depends on our intention.
Notice what you’re reaching for when you’re tired, stressed, or numb. Choose one moment a day to eat slowly, with presence, and without distractions. Let your meal remind you that you deserve nourishment, not just fuel.
3. Movement: Shift Your Energy
Reset doesn’t always mean rest. Sometimes it means movement.
No need for a marathon or 90-minute hot yoga. Try a stretch, a slow walk, a dance in your living room when no one’s watching, or shake it all out.
Move not to burn calories, but to release what’s stuck. Your body has been carrying a lot—give it a moment to move through it.
Let movement be less about “working out” and more about “working through.”
4. Reconnect with Nature
Humans weren’t made for concrete and fluorescent lights alone.
Make space for green, on your balcony or in the forest. Walk barefoot on grass or sand. Watch the clouds. Chase a sunrise or sunset. Let the sunlight warm your skin. Many of us are wildly deficient in vitamin D, and it affects our mood more than we realise.
Studies show that spending just 20 minutes in nature can significantly lower cortisol levels and improve well-being. Urban dwellers: this is your reminder to schedule in some wildness on a regular basis.
5. Self-Compassion: Talk to Yourself Like Someone You Love
Do you recharge your batteries as often as you recharge your phone? How often do you extend kindness… to yourself?
Ask yourself:
Am I being realistic about what I can carry right now?
Are my expectations lifting me—or crushing me?
Place a hand on your heart and say:
“I’ve done my best. I’ve come far. I deserve rest and grace.”
Because you do.
“Self-compassion isn’t contingent on success or failure, it’s about honouring and accepting ourselves in every moment, no matter what arises.” - Dr. Kristin Neff
6. Write It Down: Get It Out of Your Head
Thoughts swirl when they have nowhere to land. So give them a home.
Write a few lines in a journal. Scribble on a napkin. Brain dump onto your Notes app.
It’s not about writing well, it’s about clearing mental clutter.
7. Be Conscious of What You’re Consuming
Mid-year is a great time to reset your inputs—not just your outputs.
Check in with what you’re consuming:
Coffee, alcohol, processed foods
Doomscrolling, negative news
Noise
Conversations that drain you
Swap one scroll for silence. Alcohol for chamomile tea. Just one more Netflix episode for sleep. Small shifts can make a big difference.
The Gentle Recalibration
This isn’t about becoming a new person. It’s about remembering who you are underneath the noise.
You don’t need to do more. You don’t need to fix everything. You just need to return—to your breath, your body, your presence. And know that you are doing beautifully. You are enough.
What’s one thing you’re letting go of, or inviting in, for the second half of the year?
If this resonates with you, drop a comment—I’d love to hear what this season is teaching you.
With love,
Serina
For Further Reading
Psychosomatic pain – what your body is telling you, Psychology Compass
How Your 5 Senses Can Help You Stop Worrying, Time Magazine
How simply moving benefits your mental health, Harvard Health
How Journaling Can Help You in Hard Times, Greater Good Magazine
Is Digital Overload Increasing Your Anxiety?, Psychology Today