We’ve all been there — lying in bed, scrolling at 2 a.m., googling “how to restart your life” while eating cereal straight from the box. Maybe you’re coming out of a toxic relationship, maybe you hate your job, maybe you’re just tired of feeling like a walking dumpster fire. Whatever brought you here, welcome. The urge to hit reset is real, especially in your 20s and 30s when everyone around you seems to either have their life together or at least be better at faking it.
But here’s the thing: restarting your life doesn’t have to mean running away, joining a yoga cult in Bali, or buzzing your head on Instagram Live. It doesn’t have to be some big dramatic gesture you’ll regret later. What you actually need is a few smart, doable steps to help you stop spiraling and start feeling like a functional human again. Below are five practical tips for how to restart your life — no passport or clippers required.
Tip 1: Clean Your Physical Space (Yes, Even That Chair)
If you want to restart your life, start by restarting your space. Your surroundings affect your brain more than you think, and that growing pile of laundry on “the chair” is basically screaming at your nervous system 24/7. You don’t have to turn into Marie Kondo overnight, but a clean, organized environment helps you feel capable of change.
Pick one room (or even one corner) and declutter it. Throw out the expired snacks, fold the clothes, and wipe down the counter. You’ll feel a little more in control instantly — and that’s exactly what you need when you’re trying to reset. Bonus: cleaning is basically free therapy that doesn’t judge you.
Tip 2: Audit Your Digital Life (Stop Doomscrolling Already)
We all live on our phones now, which means your digital space is just as chaotic as your apartment. If you’re serious about figuring out how to restart your life, you can’t ignore the mental mess your social feeds are creating.
Unfollow the people who make you feel like garbage. Mute the ones who overshare. Clean out your inbox and delete the 12,000 unread emails (or at least mark them all as read so the red notification bubble doesn’t haunt you). The goal isn’t to go full off-grid hermit, but to make your digital life less overwhelming and more intentional. When you spend less time consuming other people’s chaos, you have more energy to fix your own.
Tip 3: Fix One Habit (Don’t Try to Change Everything at Once)
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to restart their life is thinking they need to change everything at the same time. Spoiler: you won’t. That’s how you burn out by Tuesday and end up back on the couch with your cereal box.
Pick one habit. Just one. Something small but impactful, like drinking more water, getting up 30 minutes earlier, or putting your phone down an hour before bed. Commit to that for a week or two. Once it sticks, add another. Restarting your life is more like rebuilding than reinventing — it happens brick by brick, not all at once.
Tip 4: Have an Honest Talk With Yourself (No BS Allowed)
If you want to restart your life, you have to actually face what’s been holding you back. And no, you don’t have to sit in lotus position or journal in the moonlight to do it. Just… be real with yourself for once.
Are you staying in a dead-end relationship out of fear? Working a job you hate because you’re scared to try something new? Blaming everyone else for your mess? You can’t fix what you won’t admit. So sit down, grab a coffee (or wine, no judgment), and have a brutally honest little check-in. Even if you only identify one thing you’re sick of tolerating, that’s enough to start making better choices.
Tip 5: Do Something New, Even if It’s Tiny
When your life feels stuck, it’s usually because you’re stuck in the same routines, the same thoughts, and the same excuses. The fastest way to shake that off is to do something new — anything. And no, it doesn’t have to be huge.
Sign up for a random class, try a different walking route, cook a new recipe, call that friend you’ve been meaning to see. Doing something outside your normal patterns reminds your brain that you’re capable of change, and that momentum spills into other areas of your life. You don’t have to move to Bali to feel different. Sometimes you just need to leave the house.
Restarting your life doesn’t mean burning it all down and starting from scratch. You’re not a total mess — you’re just stuck, and that’s fixable. Clean your space, clean your feed, fix one habit, face yourself, and try something new. That’s it. You’ll be amazed how quickly things start to feel better when you stop waiting for the “perfect” moment to change and just start now.
Ready to keep going? Download the Chaotter checklist today — your sarcastic bestie’s guide to getting your life together, one hilarious step at a time. Just $19. No life coach required.