When you’re a solo parent, life often moves extremely quickly. Between parenting, work, life and the mental load, it can feel like you’re constantly reacting rather than choosing intentionally. Running at a million miles an hour just to keep your head above water.

I’ve learned that without intentional pauses, it’s easy to keep going in a certain direction, simply because that’s the direction life has drifted in and you haven’t had chance to pause in order to choose differently.

You can often keep making the same choices, even though they are not working for you. Or you are totally aware you’re not happy about a certain area of your life, but you’ve not had the opportunity to step back to see if there is anything that you are in control of to change.

That’s why I now do an Annual Reset.

It’s not about fixing anything or declaring that something is wrong. It’s a conscious moment to step back, check in, and ask: Am I where I want to be? And if not, what needs more focus, energy or adjustment?

What an annual reset means to me

As a solo parent, an annual reset is a chance to reconnect with myself. Not just as a parent, but as a person in my own right. It’s time set aside to reflect on how the year has actually felt for me, rather than how it looked from the outside.

It helps me notice what’s working well, what’s draining me, and where I want to focus my energy going forward. Most importantly, it reminds me that even within an extremely busy life shaped by various responsibilities and constant juggling, I still have choices I can make, I still have the power to make certain changes.

Why this matters when you’re parenting solo

When you don’t have a co-parent to regularly reflect things back to you, it’s easy to stay in ‘just get on with it’ mode. An annual reset gives you that reflective space to ask the questions no one else may be asking you.

It’s helped me:

• carve out more time for myself

• remind myself of my priorities and realign my energy with what actually matters to me

• let go of unrealistic expectations and comparisons

• feel more intentional in the choices I make

How I do my annual reset

You don’t need hours of uninterrupted time, as I know that often feels impossible to find in a solo parent household. You also don’t need a perfectly structured process. I usually spread mine out over a few quiet moments, often a shiny new notepad, (if you know you know) sometimes across a couple of days.

1. Looking back at the year honestly

I start by reflecting on the year that’s passed

I ask myself:

• What felt good about this year? What were the highlights?

• What felt unnecessarily hard?

• Where did I feel most like myself?

• Where was I running on empty?

As a solo parent, this often highlights where I’ve been over doing it and where I might need more support. As well as where things are going well.

2. Checking in with where I am now

Next, I look at the present.

Questions I come back to:

• How well equipped am I right now to thrive?

• What areas of my life feel like they are going well?

• What feels slightly off, even if I’ve been ignoring it?

This step is about awareness, not taking action.

3. Reconnecting with my values

Becoming a solo parent reshapes our priorities. Things that once mattered often fade into the background, whilst others take centre stage.

I ask myself:

• What matters most to me right now? I try to do this really honestly so that it’s my real answer, not what I think ‘should’ matter to me most.

• Am I living in alignment with that?

• What have I been putting off that actually deserves my attention?

• What have I been spending time on that doesn’t serve me?

This often brings clarity about where I want to focus my limited energy. Am I putting it in the places that mater most to me? Is it possible to make any changes to where I am focusing most?

4. Choosing where to put more energy and where to ease off

The reset isn’t about adding more to my plate. Quite the opposite. It’s usually about simplifying and realigning things.

I reflect on:

• What deserves more of my attention and energy this year?

• What’s ‘good enough’ as it is and doesn’t need fixing?

• What can I let go of?

Letting go of things that are no longer important to me, has been just as powerful as deciding what to pursue.

5. Setting intentions, not pressure-filled goals

In the past I’ve set a long list of resolutions of a completely new life I am planning to create in the year ahead. Instead of setting theses rigid resolutions, instead now, I focus on my intentions and how I want my life to feel. Setting intentions as a solo parent is less about doing more and more about choosing what truly deserves your energy. Unlike goals, intentions act like a compass. You return to them when things get messy, emotional, or exhausting (which they almost always do at certain points).

The main question I ask myself is how do I want to experience this year?

Some example areas solo parents sometimes focus on are:

• Emotional balance and stress regulation
• Connection (with your child, yourself, others)
• Support network
• Identity beyond parenting
• Self belief and decision confidence

Intentions allow flexibility, something as a solo parents we need in abundance.

My intention for 2026:

This year, I intend to live seasonally.
I will adjust my pace, expectations, and self-care in response to my energy, my child’s needs, and life’s natural cycles

If you’re considering solo parenthood

If you’re reading this and you’re not yet a solo parent but are considering the path, many of these reflections apply just as strongly, sometimes even more so.

If you’d like support in doing this kind of check-in specifically through the lens of considering solo parenthood, I’ll be covering similar themes; clarity, readiness, values and next steps in a free webinar on 8th January 2026. It’s designed for anyone exploring this path and wanting space to reflect without pressure.

A reminder to myself:

An annual reset reminds me that even in a life shaped by responsibility, I’m still allowed to pause, reassess and choose again. It’s not about having all the answers, it’s not about doing things perfectly, it’s about staying in alignment with what is most important to me and being intentional with my energy and make changes that are within my control.

For me, that pause has become one of the most supportive practices of the year. Without it, life just goes on as it is.