The Slow Girl Reset for Spring - A Slow Start to 2026 series, week 5

I’m writing this post on a wet, stormy day. The wind is tossing the trees, the rain is hitting the patio roof loudly, and it’s gotten very dark very early today - and yet… I feel the hope slowly returning. Each day, I’m spotting more daffodils, a bunch are even growing by the sign at the entry to our village! I also discovered snowdrops right outside our living room window, and a family of purple crocuses in the medieval graveyard nearby. January and February are notorious for the worst weather, and yet they also bring the first promise of spring. I love this contrast that reminds us that the end is also the beginning.

I’m aware that some of you live in places where winter will hold its grip for much longer, but here in the South West of England, it feels as though the season is slowly shifting. I long for warmer weather. As much as I am a cosy girl through and through, at this time of the year I grow weary of the heavy coats and chunky boots, and I yearn for the warmth and light that the new season will bring.

In these last weeks before spring truly makes an appearance, I thought it would be worth resetting some of our habits, home corners, and energy that might have become stale during the winter months.

Read all the posts in the
"A Slow Start to 2026" series here

Just to be clear: these are not my living room windows :D but Dyrham Park. They also have a carpet of snowdrops growing right outside the spectacular house (captured this week). // Find "Cosy Reads" candle here

Do you remember from the first post of this series, I shared the analogy of how a farmer prepares the fields before planting new crops? The same logic applies here. You don’t want to go into spring with a build-up from autumn and winter still lingering in your home and life. If, like me, you’ve begun to feel those stirrings of new life, perhaps it’s time to begin a gentle but effective reset for spring.

1. Reset your home

If you still haven’t, it’s time to put away the Christmas decorations. In old England, it was believed to bring bad luck to keep festive décor up past the Old Twelfth Night, which falls around the 17th of January.

Sort out the accumulation of autumn and winter things you might no longer need, dust and vacuum forgotten corners, and tackle that drawer (in my case, a vase!) where you tend to throw random things to deal with later.

This isn’t about becoming a perfect housewife or making sure your home is spotless,  but about creating space for you to breathe. Do you know that strange but nice feeling after the Christmas tree is gone, when the living room feels empty but somehow bigger and more spacious? That’s exactly the feeling we’re aiming for.

When you’re finished, open up the windows. It’s a mix of science and folklore. Our grandmothers believed this was how we let the old year leave, but superstitions aside - the cold air will refresh your home and help your family sleep better.

2. Reset your body

These late winter days don’t feel the most motivating to get going, but it’s time to slowly wake from the winter sleep - just as the spring flowers begin stirring and lifting their heads. A gentle yoga session, a slightly more challenging walk, or a visit to the gym… nothing too strenuous, just enough to get your blood flowing again.

One thing I truly recommend as part of a “reset” is checking in with your pains and aches. We get so used to things like stiffness in the neck, a strange sensation in the stomach, and all sorts of other niggles that they slowly become part of our normal. Now is a great time to pause and consider each one, and whether there’s anything that can (or should) be done about it. For some, a home remedy or a small diet change might be enough. For others, this might be the moment you finally book that GP appointment.

The important thing is that you don’t go into another 12 months ignoring discomfort, hoping it will just go away.

3. Reset your phone

Start with your apps - delete anything you don’t use. Then move on to notifications. Do you really need your phone to light up and vibrate, pulling your attention away for every Facebook like?

Lastly, clear out your following list. I don’t believe in completely curating your feed, because the algorithm will push what it thinks you might be interested in anyway… but you do have a huge influence over what shows up.

To be completely honest, these days it’s not about who you follow, but what you engage with. If a clickbaity, upsetting video pops up on your screen and you take the bait - you watch, comment, react - be assured that more will come your way. 

Scroll past anything you don’t wish to see, without giving it your time of your day

4. Reset your ambitions

With the “new year, new me” phase slowly fading away, many people start coming back to their senses. Here in this series, we haven’t set any New Year’s resolutions, but if you’re new here (hi! A warm welcome! x), it’s time to relax about changing your future fast and with a bang, and instead consider what realistic ways you can implement change in a steady, long-term way.

Instead of striving for a beach-ready body like a 20-year-old model, set your goal to feel lighter, more agile, and less tired.

Instead of yearning to live in a cottage, bake bread, and tend to your roses all day, consider how you can manage your current lifestyle so you have more time for yourself.

No one says that, in the end, you won’t get the beach-ready body or move to the picturesque cottage. But first, focus on real things that can be changed here and now. Setting the bar too high and feeling frustrated about it is one of the quickest reasons to give up.

Find our "Cosy Cottage" candle here

5. Reset your joy

Many of us are overstimulated from watching short-form content and the “perfect lives” of others, where joy looks like fancy holidays, expensive handbags, or staged homes. If you’ve found yourself getting caught up in it, it might be time to reset your joy - to look around and remind yourself how much good is already here, and to appreciate the things you once wanted and worked hard for.

It’s only natural that we get used to what’s around us. The novelty wears off, but just like in a good relationship, the same goes for the life you’ve built. You need to mindfully choose it, over and over again. Enjoy your favourite mug and the history it has to tell. Burn that candle all the way to the bottom. Wrap yourself up in your old sweater for comfort and warmth.

Your life is already filled with joy: your home, your family, the cake you recently baked, fresh flowers in the vase, and a seasonal candle burning. The secret to a happy life is remembering to see joy in the smallest things.

A few closing words

Next week will be the last week of January, and the very last post in the New Year series. As we near the end, I encourage you to start stirring - slowly and gently shake off the winter slumber. Of course, don’t rush anything. Listen to your own inner clock, and look closely at the natural world around you, because both are the very best guides.

Deep down, you already know what’s best for you - but that quiet inner voice can sometimes get drowned out by other people’s opinions, trends, and noise. A little reset - bringing yourself back to basics - can really help you hear that voice again.

Thank you for being here for another week,
Adriana x