ARTICLES
Time for a Mid-Year Reset
Welcome, this is your mini mid-year reset guide.
Can you believe we're already halfway through the year? It's easy to get caught up in what you haven't accomplished yet, but let's be clear, it's never too late to start something new or go after your goals. There's no need to wait for January 1st, and you shouldn't feel like the year has been a waste. You still have six months to make great things happen.
This guide isn't about shaming you, telling you to start a 3AM productivity routine, or forcing you to read a dozen self-help books. Instead, it's an opportunity to pause, reflect on your year so far, and re-assess what truly matters to you.
I know how easy it is to wait for the "perfect" time to begin. But more often than not, the perfect time is right now. When you finally get started, you might even look back and wonder, "Why didn't I do this sooner?"
So, let's get into it. Here are five simple things you can do today to have a little refresh. ✨
It’s time. (Credit: dupe/kimberguillen)
Your vision board CHECK-IN
You’ve probably made a vision board at the start of the year.
A vision board is a visual collection of an individual’s aspirations (i.e., usually goals you’d like to achieve by December). It can include images, words, symbols, etc. Think of it like a bucket list; goals you want to work towards. It serves as a visual reminder and keeps you motivated.
Vision boards can facilitate imaginative thinking, link our subconscious desires to conscious goals (Burton & Lent, 2016; Waalkes et al., 2019), evoke positive emotions and hope, empower individuals to take control of their future narratives, enhance a sense of agency and active participation in defining and visualising goals (Burton and Lent, 2016). Furthermore, vision boards can be a valuable tool for promoting career development and self-awareness. Creating vision boards can help individuals to identify their strengths and interests, develop career goals, increase self-efficacy and motivation, and also help individuals feel more connected to culture and community (Waalkes et al., 2019).
Benedict (2021) suggests that creating and presenting vision boards can help individuals to reflect on their experiences, again, identify their strengths and weaknesses, set future goals, visualise success, gain inspiration, and learn from their own and others' experiences.
If you’ve made a vision board for this year, pull it up, take some time to review it, check your progress so far, have a think about:
What’s on there?
Have you achieved anything on there yet? (Well done if you have!)
What have you not achieved yet? (There’s still time to achieve!)
Why have you not been able to make any progress yet? (Find out what could be holding you back.)
Is there anything you’re not interested in/doesn’t resonate with you anymore? (Change it, remove it, or postpone it. It’s alright to have a change of heart. With a vision board, the thing is that you have the ability to change it. Your goals don’t have to be set in stone.)
If you haven’t made one, give it a try. You can make one for the rest of the year or you can make one to reflect your dreams and desires in general. Some people like to break their goals down by month, while others may go with the flow.
So how do you go about making a vision board? You can make a physical vision board or a digital one, whichever you prefer.
If you want to make a physical vision board, get a piece of paper or card. Print off some images and quotes that you like and stick it on the paper or card. It could look something like this:
On the other hand, if you want to make a digital vision board there are three main ways you can go about making one: A notes app (e.g., Apple Notes, Samsung Notes, Notion, Goodnotes, etc.); using online editing software (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Paint, Canva, etc.); or simply saving images in a folder in your gallery.
You can be as specific as you want, there are no rules. You can cover areas such as finance, relationship, career, lifestyle, and recreation. You could include things like:
Restaurants you want to go to;
A promotion you’d like;
A new skill you’d like to learn;
A clothing item you really want; or
A place you’d like to visit.
If you’d like to take your vision board a step further, you may even plan out the steps you’re going to take in order to achieve your goals. Start off small, what little things can help you get started today? Remember that things don’t usually come into fruition overnight and can take some time to prepare and execute.
wardrobe RESET: DECLUTTER AND REORGANISE
If there’s one thing that we all have in common in our day to day lives, that one thing has got to be deciding what to wear. Our wardrobe is an area of our life that has a large influence on us.
Find the time to go through your wardrobe and/or drawers and take a look at the clothes you have. As you do, ask yourself a few questions:
What do you wear most often and what do you genuinely love?
What clothing items don't serve you anymore, need some repair, or are just taking up space?
Have you rediscovered anything you totally forgot you owned?
In the UK, it’s summer in July (sorry if you’re reading from Australia).
Now is the perfect time to make your wardrobe work for you. If you're in a summer climate, bring your favourite warm-weather clothes to the front of your closet. Move those heavy knits, thick jumpers, and winter coats to the back or a different storage spot. This simple swap makes it easier to see and access the items you'll actually wear in the coming months. It can also help you avoid buying new things for a holiday that you may already have buried in the back.
Oh, and those clothes I told you to think about earlier that don’t serve you anymore - Let’s be real, they’re probably taking up space. With these, you can:
Replace them with something that fits your current needs and style;
Donate them to a local charity;
Sell them on a second-hand app like Vinted, Depop, or eBay;
Recycle them at a textile recycling centre;
Mend anything that just needs a little TLC.
Are you finding that outfit planning is quite a struggle at this time of year? If you find yourself in a rush in the morning and struggle to find an outfit for work, school, or in general then take the time to plan your outfits out the night before! You won’t believe how much time you’ll save.
You can even try putting together a capsule wardrobe, there are many benefits to having this system in place. A capsule wardrobe involves a curated collection of a few essential, versatile items that you can mix and match. It can simplify your decisions, help you save money on impulsive purchases, and make getting dressed feel less like a chore and more like a joy.
Exercise: GET YOUR BODY MOVING
Exercise/physical activity can provide us with a lot of benefits; it’s a great way to keep us not just physically healthy, but can also do wonders for our mental health as well.
The NHS (2025) recommends that 19-64 year olds take part in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week. According to a recent systematic review carried out by Huang and Wong (2025), featured in Frontiers in Psychology (Sec. Sport Psychology), ‘Exercise prescriptions for young people's emotional wellbeing’, it’s been suggested that: low-intensity exercises can help reduce negative emotions and increase mental toughness; moderate-intensity exercises can effectively reduce anxiety and increase vitality; short periods of running can enhance wellbeing; and 15–30 minutes of exercise can lead to lasting positive emotions.
Moreover, Trajković et al. (2023) discussed in a editorial titled ‘Effects of physical activity on psychological well-being’ that the positive psychological effects of exercise include increased life satisfaction, positive emotions, self-appraisal, self-efficacy, self-confidence, and physical competence. In addition, the authors comment that higher levels of physical activity is also associated with lower cortisol levels, lower negative mood, fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, and fewer sleep disturbances. They add that physical activity may be considered a protective factor for lower stress levels, depression, and poor eating habits.
Of course, you can tailor exercise to your own individual circumstances, what might work for someone else might not work for you. You don’t have to join a run club, sign up for a gym membership, start loading up on protein, buy a new Alo/lululemon set, neither a Peloton subscription. There are many things you can do to keep your body active such as:
Taking a walk (maybe in a shopping centre, at the park, the beach, etc.), especially when the weather is tolerable;
Playing with a pet;
Swimming;
Yoga; and even
Gentle stretches.
You can find hundreds of free guided workout videos on YouTube, with options for every fitness level. If getting active feels like a struggle, start with just a few minutes a day. The key is to start small and find something you genuinely enjoy.
If you find it hard to concentrate, find exercise quite boring, or if you’re nervous to exercise in a gym, try listening to your favourite music to boost your morale.
Journal: WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS DOWN
Speaking about keeping your body active, it’s also important to keep your mind active.
One simple way to do this is through journalling! Journalling is simply the act of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and ideas. It gives you a place to acknowledge them instead of having them just floating around in your mind (rent-free?).
Journalling can be an important tool for improving emotional and psychological wellbeing (Wurtz et al., 2022), and it’s pretty useful if you don’t have anyone to talk to or if you’re not comfortable sharing your feelings with others.
You can write in a notebook, a diary, a notes app, a journalling app, whatever you want. You can download PBMIF’s free 2025 digital journal here which includes many activities and questions to aid reflection.
To get started, try reviewing the first half of the year by reflecting on these questions:
What have you done so far that you're proud of?
What’s gone well for you, and what hasn’t gone so well?
What's made you happy or sad?
What are you grateful for?
What have you been putting off that you want to start now?
What has you feeling worried or restless?
If writing's not your cup of tea, you can still reflect in other ways. At the end of the day (in bed), take a moment to think about one thing you're grateful for. It doesn't have to be a major event—it could be a small win, like finding the last item in stock that happened to be your size, getting a package in the mail, passing an exam, spending time with someone you love, or even just finding an extra chip at the bottom of your takeaway bag. Stuff like that, yeah?
Even better yet, hear me out. When you get some private time to yourself, whether it be first thing in the morning, when you’re driving, cleaning, in the shower, or even right before you go to bed, just have a little conversation with yourself (or you can speak to God, the universe, etc. if you prefer) aloud. You can even look out of the window and just speak whatever’s on your mind. Talk freely and openly. Ask questions. Your own thoughts may provide you breadcrumbs towards breakthroughs.
Digital Detox: GET RID OF UNNECESSARY DIGITAL CLUTTER
Our digital devices… so prominent in our lives. It’s only right to keep them clutter-free, right? Otherwise they just serve as a distraction.
When you’ve got notifications going off all the time, a load of screenshots of recipes you’ll probably never bother to try, 100+ unread emails, ridiculous content on your for you page, let’s be real, is this not annoying? What’s more, do you find yourself scrolling social media for hours on end?
Schraggeová and Bisaha (2025) describe a digital detox as . . . “a range of online and offline interventions aimed at improving wellbeing by optimising habits and behaviours associated with technology use, particularly smartphones”. A digital detox isn't about not using your digital devices. It's simply any effort you make to be more intentional with your technology use. It's about taking back control of your digital life so it serves you and your wellbeing.
Try and make your digital habits mindful and intentional. Here are a few things you can do to give your digital life a little clean up:
Clean up your feed: Unfollow any accounts that no longer serve you joy. On the flip side, follow accounts that are uplifting, inspiring, or genuinely useful. At the same time, unsubscribe from newsletters that clog up your inbox and delete old spam emails;
Declutter your phone: Delete old apps, screenshots, and notes you don’t use or need. If you have screenshots of things you'd like to do or try, put them on your vision board! If you find your screen time is out of control, consider setting app timers to help you use your time more mindfully;
Reconnect with what matters: Instead of endless scrolling, use your device for real connection. Maybe send a quick message to a friend or family member you haven't spoken to in a while. Or, put your phone down and start that new hobby you've been wanting to try;
Perform a digital check-up: Take a moment to save important photos and files to an external hard drive or cloud service. While you're at it, do a quick password check and update your passwords. Keep them somewhere safe.
And there you have it: five simple things you can do to give yourself a mid-year refresh. I hope this guide helps you take a step back, reset your focus, and approach the rest of the year feeling more intentional and inspired.
Thank you for reading. ;)
Benedict, B. C. (2021). Using Vision Boards to Reflect on Relevant Experiences and Envision Ideal Futures. College Teaching, 69(4), 231-232. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2020.1850411
Burton, L., & Lent, J. (2016). The use of vision boards as a therapeutic intervention. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11, 52–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2015.1092901
Huang, W. & Wong, T. L. (2025). Exercise prescriptions for young people's emotional wellbeing: a systematic review of physical activity intensity, duration, and modality. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1552531. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1552531
NHS UK . (Accessed: 2025, Jul 16). Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64
Radtke, T., Apel, T., Schenkel, K., Keller, J., & von Lindern, E. (2021). Digital detox: An effective solution in the smartphone era? A systematic literature review. Mobile Media & Communication, 10(2), 190-215. https://doi.org/10.1177/20501579211028647
Schraggeová, M. & Bisaha, D. (2025). The effect of digital detox through digital minimalism using the MinimalistPhone [sic] app on the behavior of young users and their emotional experience. Computers in Human Behavior, 18, 100699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100699
Trajković, N., Mitić, P. M., Barić, R., & Bogataj, Š. (2023). Editorial: Effects of physical activity on psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1121976. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1121976
Waalkes, P. L., Gonzalez, L. M., & Brunson, C. N. (2019). Vision Boards and Adolescent Career Counseling: A Culturally Responsive Approach. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 14(2), 205-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2019.1602092
Wurtz, H. M., Willen, S. S., & Mason, K. A. (2022). Introduction: Journaling and Mental Health during COVID-19: Insights from the Pandemic Journaling Project. SSM. Mental health, 2, 100141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100141
The Psychology Behind Lucky Girl Syndrome (And Manifestation)
What does lucky look like to you?
#LuckyGirlSyndrome has become the latest TikTok trend in 2023, but what is Lucky Girl Syndrome exactly? We'll take a look at what this is, how we can learn from it, and of course, the psychological perspective of it.
What is Lucky Girl Syndrome?
You've heard of manifestation right? Manifestation is the concept of turning your dreams and ideas into reality, by intention. You have to think about what you want, and you have to put in work for it to become true. We all 'manifest' to a degree, e.g., thinking of what we want to eat for dinner, and then cooking it (or ordering in). Some people apply this to actual goals such as buying a dream car, getting good grades, travelling, and even just being happy. It's all about mindset. Lucky Girl Syndrome is simply just manifestation. You have to be able to change your mindset, which in turn changes your behaviours and actions to those that can help you in the process of achieving your dreams and ideas.
A person who adopts the Lucky Girl mindset would say something along the lines of:
"I am capable of achieving what I want and more."
If you believe you can achieve whatever you want and you have an open-mind, you're going to believe that, and your actions will change accordingly such as taking opportunities, meeting new people, and instead of watching TV show reruns, learning a skill or hobby. The Lucky Girl mindset is where you believe that your possibilities are infinite. It's about opening up avenues to explore and even running into those you didn't know existed. Don't expect to see results if you stick to your current habits and routines. You are in charge of your beliefs and how you see things.
On the other hand, if you believe that you can't achieve, there's only one route to 'success', the world is a bad place, and everything takes a hell of a lot of effort to do, you're going to believe that. And so, your behaviours in reality will be a reflection of those thoughts and beliefs, which in turn will make you feel ultimately unsatisfied and upset. A mindset like this will only hold you back from your potential. It's as simple as that from a social media standpoint.
What is the psychology behind Lucky Girl Syndrome?
In terms of psychology, the manifestation we hear about on social media fits into the realm of 'pop' (popular) psychology, topics related to psychology that make it big in society originating from social media and well, the media itself. Manifestation is actually a pseudoscience; it's not backed up by evidence, but it's cool and fun to talk about on your coffee break. It's not good for psychology to be associated with such because a long term goal of psychology is to be taken seriously as a real science, with real research, involving real scientific methods...!
Don't even start about MBTI. However, there are many similar concepts closely related to manifestation, motivation, and attaining goals that psychologists have been using in therapy, educational settings, work settings, and other areas. Try and see how a few apply to Lucky Girl Syndrome, you'll be surprised.
Growth Mindset
The growth mindset is a theory in 'positive psychology' where if you believe that you can do something, you're more likely to do that something successfully regardless of talent, intelligence, or education - You just need to put in the work. Dweck (2006) termed it, the psychology of success. Having a growth mindset means that your skills and abilities have the opportunity to develop rather than staying fixed and unchangeable. This mindset can make you resilient to setbacks because you believe that you always have opportunities to learn and experience. How to use the growth mindset? The key is to take fixed mindset beliefs and associate them with growth and learning instead. If you catch yourself saying something along the lines of "I'm not seeing results!", add 'yet' to the end of that statement.
Self-fulfilling Prophecy
The term self-fulfilling prophecy is simply when a person's expectations or beliefs about an event influences their behaviour to match that of the expectations or beliefs. To put it simply, if you think you're unlovable, you're going to act unlovable and push everyone away. If you believe that you're never going to get your dream job, you're not going to put effort into getting it or take appropriate actions to get it, making it more likely that you'll not get that job. This is similar to confirmation bias.
Self-determination Theory
Self-determination theory is a framework to understand internal factors that motivate us and shape how we behave (Ryan & Deci, 2017). We have three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and connectedness. When they're met, they lead to greater motivation and life satisfaction. Autonomy is when we control our own behaviour and actions. Competence refers to growing and learning new skills that are important to us. Connectedness refers to interacting with others.
Locus of Control
Locus of control is an individual difference concerning how we understand and perceive events and circumstances. This can be internal (i.e., what happens to me is determined by my own behaviours and actions) and external (i.e., what happens to me is determined by other people, society, chance, the 'universe', and maybe even spiritual forces). Our lives are determined by both internal and external factors, and it's important to keep in mind that what might apply to you, might not apply to someone else. (Read more: Stressed out about work? Learn how to deal with it).
An internal locus of control is associated with more positive outcomes according to many studies (Iles-Caven et al., 2020). When we believe that fate will determine what happens to us, we don't take the initiative to work towards our goals nor feel connected to what we want, nor what we are doing. It's like expecting someone else to do the work for you.
Where is research heading in terms of manifestation itself?
Surprisingly, there has been research on the psychology of belief in manifestation (i.e., Dixon et al., 2022). The researchers explored the psychology of those who believe in manifestation in three studies. They developed a 'Manifestation Scale', and participants who scored higher on it perceived themselves as more successful and believed they were more likely to achieve success in the future as well. They were more likely to be drawn to risk, experience debt, and believe that an unlikely level of success could be achieved pretty fast. Research is never 100 per cent reliable and/or valid, and we should never walk away accepting conclusions for what they are. It's important to take such research and evaluate it. Firstly, manifestation is hard to define, the scale is new, and the small sample size (N = 1023) is ethnocentric (USA-focused). However, it's a good basis for further research on this topic.
How can I get the Lucky Girl Syndrome mindset?
Remember, if you have goals that you want to achieve, you have to put the effort in yourself. Here are some things to keep in mind to achieve your goals based on the original idea of Lucky Girl Syndrome and the evidence-based concepts and theories in psychology as discussed previously.
You're going to know what exactly it is that you want to bring into your life and write it down somewhere. This could be on your phone, a piece of paper, or in a journal. Write about whatever you want no matter how big or small, write however many goals you want as long as they do no harm, make you happy, make you feel in control, and feels right to you. You have to be able to know exactly what you want so that you know you achieved exactly that.
You're going to make these goals clearer for yourself - Understand what it is exactly that you want, when you want it, and if you have a plan. It's alright to say you want the latest designer items, but what does that really mean to you? A handbag? Sunglasses? What brand? What colour? Why do you want it in the first place? How much do you need to save up?
You're going to accept opportunities, don't just 'be open' to accepting them. Put yourself out there, learn new skills that you find fun and engaging.
You're going to apply to opportunities whether you're suited towards them or not, what's the worst that could happen? If you don't succeed move on and you might find an even better opportunity afterwards. Put it this way, let's say if you want to get your dream internship - If you submit your application, you have a higher chance of succeeding compared to not doing an application at all, right? If you actually buy a lottery ticket, you have a higher chance of winning the lottery than someone who hasn't got a ticket, right? It's that simple.
You're going to be realistic, but this doesn't mean you need to engage in negative self-talk. Although Lucky Girl Syndrome is based on reducing self-limiting beliefs, you don't have to treat them as 'self-limiting beliefs'. Instead, incorporate them into your goal setting - think about how you can overcome them. Do your research on how to achieve specific goals - See how others have achieved it and apply this to your goal setting. Learn the skills required. If you're way too optimistic, you're going to eventually lose momentum.
You're going to remember that there is no one way to achieving your goals, you might find an alternative along the way, or something you enjoy more.
You're going to persevere and test your patience - We're used to instant gratification, and unfortunately goals aren't achieved overnight. Keep believing and you'll find ways to get to where you want.
You're going to follow people and accounts that inspire you, motivate you, match your beliefs, and make you want to be a better version of yourself.
You're not going to be envious of others or want to be a particular person. You are you.
You're going to be grateful and be happy with what you have already. Doing this will keep in a positive frame of mind and motivated to achieve more.
You're going to create a vision board. Visualisation is powerful and has been shown to be effective in sports (Predoiu et al., 2020). Creating a vision board is a fun and simple way to keep your goals in mind and keep you happily motivated. Take a look online at images (or your own) that resemble your goals and then just put them all together. You can make a physical vision board by sticking pictures to a board or you can make a digital one using PowerPoint or Word. If that's not your thing, just create a new photos folder on your phone and keep the pictures there so they are in one place.
As an example, if you don't know where to start, if you want to be happy let's say, you could find a picture of a smiley face. Want to go to cafés more this year? Include a picture of a café and imagine yourself being in that picture. The trick here is to look back at this board every now and again to remind yourself of your dreams and to also see what you've achieved so far. Keep it in mind, but don't feel the need to have to look at it everyday.
You're not going to be constantly attached to your goals - Check them once in a while.
What are the drawbacks of having the Lucky Girl Syndrome mindset?
One thing to remember is that just writing down a goal and not doing anything about it won't make it come true, unless you put in the work. Although Lucky Girl Syndrome is about believing you can achieve every single thing and reducing self-limiting beliefs, you need to be realistic, and you will think about the pros and cons of getting there. We evaluate decisions we make to keep us safe. Also, it's inevitable that you'll become disheartened if you can't reach your goals or they don't seem like they're getting closer, and that's OK, it will help you in future planning.
It can be very easy to get carried away with the manifestation you learn via social media if you are going through a tough period in your life or if you have a mental health disorder. If you find yourself becoming too interested or pre-occupied with trying to fulfil your goals - it's wise to step away. It shouldn't interfere with your daily life nor make it miserable.
Manifestation is a journey and not a quick fix for your problems.
Not every single thing that happens to you is a product of manifestation or can be manifested, good or bad.
Keep your goals to yourself or with your closest friends and family, because this way, you'll have no one to talk you out of your goals and dreams, and make you feel incapable of achieving them. We have quite a lot of potential to achieve anything we want, but we're usually told we can't or not to bother trying.
Don't take what you see on social media seriously. The 'Lucky Girl Syndrome' that you learn about on social media has its own flaws (e.g., Do bad things happen to me because I thought of them? Why do some people of certain backgrounds achieve greater results? Etc.).
Having goals is a wonderful thing; it keeps us curious, motivated, and it gives us something to do. In order to achieve our goals, fulfil our wants and needs, and turn our ideas into reality, we need to be able to take control of our own actions and change our mindset from believing that dreaming is enough, to actually doing with belief in ourselves that we can do whatever we want when we put our mind towards it. Curiosity is the best outfit. Work it.
Dixon, L. J., Hornsey, M., Hartley, N. (2022). The secret to success? The psychology of belief in manifestation. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18696.90881
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Iles-Caven, Y., Gregory, S., Ellis, G., Golding, J., & Nowicki, S. (2020). The Relationship Between Locus of Control and Religious Behavior and Beliefs in a Large Population of Parents: An Observational Study. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 1462. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01462
Predoiu, R., Predoiu, A., Mitrache, G.,... et al. (2020). Visualisation techniques in sport–the mental road map for success. Physical Education, Sport and Kinetotherapy Journal, 59(3), 245-256.
Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. The Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1521/978.14625/28806
Worth, P. & Smith, M. D. (2019). Positive Psychology And Luck Experiences in The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy and Psychology of Luck (1st Ed.). Routledge.