The urge to start over
and why starting smaller works better
The New Year has a way of stirring something familiar.
I should start a diet.
I should improve my health.
I should get back to the gym.
It often arrives all at once — a mix of motivation, pressure, and quiet overwhelm. Suddenly, the list grows faster than life can realistically hold it. Nutrition, movement, skincare, sleep, relationships, routines. Where do you even begin?
And maybe more importantly — how do you begin without burning out?
Because what I see most often isn’t a lack of intention.
It’s too much intention, applied all at once.
By March, many people feel discouraged — not because they failed, but because the changes they tried to make were never designed to fit into real life. Adding more rules, more protocols, more “shoulds” rarely creates lasting change. It usually creates exhaustion.
The First Step Isn’t Doing More — It’s Noticing
Before change can happen, there has to be recognition.
Not judgment.
Not self-criticism.
Just honest awareness.
What isn’t working right now?
What feels unsustainable?
Where does life feel noisy, depleted, or overcomplicated?
From there, the most effective shifts are rarely dramatic. They’re small, realistic adjustments, made one at a time. When we try to overhaul everything at once — food, fitness, skincare, productivity, relationships — we overwhelm the very systems we’re trying to support.
No matter the goal, the first step is almost always the same: Minimize.
Why Minimizing Is the Foundation of Meaningful Change
Whether the goal is better nutrition, improved fitness, healthier skin, or even stronger relationships, progress starts by peeling things back — not piling more on.
It means returning to basics.
Relearning why we do what we do.
Aligning goals with where we actually are — not where we think we should be.
This part isn’t flashy. It’s not algorithm-friendly. And yes, it can feel boring.
It’s far more exciting to dive into recipes, supplements, workouts, and trends than to pause and remember why protein matters — how much we actually need — and how consistency outweighs novelty. Social media has a way of convincing us that progress requires constant addition, when in reality it often requires restraint.
Skincare Has Always Taught Me This Lesson
My entire philosophy around skincare is built on this idea:
Start with the barrier.
And I’ll be honest — I know how frustrating that sounds.
When clients come to me excited about clean, holistic skincare, I can feel their enthusiasm. They’ve read about copper peptides. Plant growth factors. Naturally derived actives. Vitamin B complexes. And I love that curiosity — I share it.
But when I gently suggest starting with “boring” ingredients like jojoba oil, chia seed oil, shea butter, or even discussing the water being used on the skin, I often see the look. The subtle disappointment. The thought that maybe I’m missing something more advanced.
I promise — I’m not.
Nothing of true significance can happen without an intact skin barrier.
You can use the most sophisticated actives in the world, but without a resilient foundation, the skin remains reactive, inflamed, and inconsistent. Repair doesn’t begin with stimulation. It begins with support.
And the same principle applies everywhere else.
Foundations First — Always
Real change isn’t built on extremes.
It’s built on stability.
Before adding more, we regulate.
We simplify.
We nourish.
And we repeat.
This is true for skin.
It’s true for nutrition.
It’s true for movement.
It’s true for how we relate to ourselves.
Starting with the foundation doesn’t mean you’ll never explore more advanced tools. It means you’ll be able to use them effectively when the time is right.
If You’re Feeling the Pull to Reset
If the New Year has stirred that familiar urge to “start over,” I invite you to pause before adding anything new.
Ask instead:
What can I simplify?
What foundations need support?
What small shift would actually be sustainable right now?
From there, meaningful change becomes possible — not overwhelming.
A Gentle Invitation
If this season of simplification feels like a good place to begin, my Somatic Alchemy Facial offers a skin-focused recenter that supports whole-body regulation through foundational care. And at home, Mantle is especially supportive during times of minimalism — intentionally simple, barrier-focused, and deeply nourishing.
If you’d like to take this a step further, I’ve also shared a post on autophagy-supportive eating on instagram as a gentle way to support cellular repair through metabolic rest. If it resonates, respond in the comments or reply to this email with your email address, and I’ll send you a simple five-day framework to support you through this reset.
Because lasting change doesn’t come from doing everything at once.
It comes from doing the right things, gently, consistently, and in order.
And yes — it starts with the basics.
