Easy Button vs Reset Button

We all lead busy lives. Lives are filled with stressors. Work can be stressful, family can be stressful, health can be stressful, and the list of stressful things could go on forever. To me, dealing with stress can be so tricky. The topic of “self-care” can oftentimes be useless advice about what you can do to decompress from a long day. I think self-care goes deeper. Self-care starts with well, the self. If you approach self-care as just something you do to manage stress then I think you are only going to get half of the potential outcomes of these practices. To be embodied is to care for self. Therefore, self-care is an act of embodiment. It is an act of slowing down and paying attention to what our bodies need. Sometimes that may look like an intentional yoga practice, or maybe just turning off the phone and sitting down with a book. Both can be self-care practices but, if not done in an intuitive manner what good do they bring? Our bodies provide us with the intuition to figure out what we need to survive and thrive. I want to provide my readers with an activity that I do with clients in order for them to find out what self-care practices might help them feel more embodied!

To introduce this activity I want you to think of two buttons. Really go ahead and imagine them. When I hear the word, button, I can only imagine those red “easy” buttons from Staples. You know, the ones that say “easy” when you press them! Let’s pretend one of your buttons says “easy” and the other says “reset.” Now that you have those buttons in mind we can begin our exercise. The “easy” button is the button you press when you want to just zone out, and distract yourself from all your stress. For me, this is scrolling on Tik Tok or watching Netflix. Which are totally valid ways of relaxing! However, too many “easy” button activities can become less helpful if they are all we do. If we only flip on Youtube whenever we get stressed we are never going to grow our ability to care for ourselves. The “easy” button is easy, and useful, but I suggest moderation. Now let’s turn our attention to the other button, the “reset” button. When you press the “reset” button in life the idea is that you are able to recover and give your body what it needs to have energy in the future. Some “reset” activities may be going on a morning walk with your dog, cooking a home-cooked meal after work, or spending time with yourself in some sort of mindfulness practice.

Here are the differences I like to point out to my clients about easy vs. reset button activities. Easy buttons are easy, they take little effort. Reset buttons may not be “hard” buttons but often take effort. Easy buttons allow you to check out from your reality. Reset button activities invite present-minded awareness of what you are doing at the moment. Easy button activities have short-term impacts. You may feel a lack of stress while you are playing on your phone, but, overall, it most likely won’t lead to long-term stress reduction. Reset buttons have long-term impacts. I find it harder to notice the immediate impacts of reset button activities in my life, but over time these practices lead to more intuitive stress responses.

Consider these questions…

What are my easy buttons?

What are my reset buttons?

How can I practice resetting when I feel stressed or overwhelmed?

What easy buttons do I want to let go of?

What reset buttons could I integrate into my self-care routine?