As winter sets in, the new year brings that familiar pressure to rethink our lives: optimize, reinvent, and start fresh all in one fell swoop. But alongside this push, many of us feel a quieter pull for a different kind of reset. A piece that is neither dramatic nor performative, but softer and more sustained. A reset that is less about becoming someone new and more about returning to what anchors and stabilizes us.
This is where the Enneagram can be particularly helpful. Rather than offering another set of universal rules or routines, it invites a more personalized type of care, rooted in understanding our patterns. The Enneagram helps shed light on what tends to drain us, what we do too much when we’re out of balance, and what actually sustains us when we need to reset. Used as a self-awareness tool (not a box to put ourselves into), it offers a framework for meeting ourselves with greater clarity and compassion, not just in a seasonal reset, but in how we support our energy, relationships, and well-being throughout the year.
Featured image of our interview with Riley Reed by Jenn Rose Smith.
A more personal way to reset
To bring this idea of personalized reset rituals to life, I spoke with Elle Pughcertified Enneagram facilitator and coach, and entrepreneur dedicated to holistic well-being and personal growth. With experience spanning pediatric cardiac intensive care, healthcare startups, and leadership training for Fortune 100 companies, She approaches the Enneagram through a deeply human lens, shaped by both clinical care and lived experience.
Elle’s work is grounded in the belief that when individuals understand themselves better, they are better equipped to heal, connect, and create lives that feel sustainable from the inside out. In the context of Enneagram rituals, this means moving away from prescriptive resets and toward practices that meet each person exactly where they are.
The Best Reset Ritual for Every Enneagram Type
Although the desire for a reset is universal, how we recover is deeply personal. What soothes one person may leave another feeling more exhausted — and often, the practices we instinctively seek out are the very ones that keep us off balance. Using the Enneagram as a guide, the rituals below are designed to meet each type where they are, addressing what tends to drain their energy, what they can avoid, and what actually helps them come back to themselves. Think of them not as rules to follow, but as gentle starting points: simple, encouraging practices that can be adapted to your season, your energy, and your life.
Type 1 – The Reformer
Responsibility tends to crowd out rest for Type 1s. This type is deeply oriented toward what is right, often holding itself to exacting standards even in moments intended for ease. Over time, this internal pressure can make slowing down uncomfortable or undeserved.
What most restores Type 1s is not more structure, but softness. She describes true renewal for this type as heart work rather than body work – practices that reconnect them to desire, imagination and ease. A ritual based on vision, such as create a vision board rooted in play and serenity rather than achievement, can gently release rigidity and invite a more spacious inner life.
Connection is important here too. Instead of retreating into silence, Type 1s often enjoy time spent with people who invite laughter and lightness. The image she has of dining for this type of person is simple and revealing: a slow, sunny morning – a bed unmade not through carelessness, but through carelessness; a moment that prioritizes being over action.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Assuming the answer is more discipline or more control. For Type 1s, restoration rarely comes from tightening the reins, but rather from gently letting go.
Reset journal prompts:
- At what point in my life could I allow for ease instead of improvement?
- What seems truly restorative to me right now, without needing to justify it?
- What would it look like to lead with desire, not duty, this week?
Type 2 – The Wizard
Caring for others comes naturally to Type 2s. They are deeply attuned to what is needed in a room, often offering support before it is asked. Over time, this outward focus can distract from their own inner landscape, leaving them with little space to notice what they need.
Restoration for this type begins with turning inward. She emphasizes the importance of intentional alone time, moments set aside not for thinking about others, but for honest connection with oneself. Logging can be particularly supportive, providing a private place to explore feelings without dealing with someone else’s response.
Even brief rituals of solitude help Type 2s come back to themselves. From this grounded place, their generosity becomes more enduring – rooted in choice rather than obligation.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Let “self-care” become another form of service. For Type 2s, a reset only works when protected – a time set aside not for giving, repairing, or supporting, but simply for being.
Reset journal prompts:
- What do I need today that I haven’t named yet?
- How do I feel when I don’t meet the needs of others?
- Where can I practice asking instead of giving?
Type 3 – The achiever
Speed is often the first signal that something is wrong for Type 3s. Momentum feels energizing, even necessary, but when life becomes too focused on achievement, constant movement can crowd out presence. The pace may be impressive, but it is not sustainable in the long term.
What most restores this type is not complete cessation, but realignment. She encourages Type 3s to slow down enough to think about how they want their lives and relationships to feel (not what they want to accomplish). Listening to the fragility of life – not in the form of fear, but in the form of clarity – helps bring focus back to what really matters.
A simple practice can make this change tangible: the solo heart walk. Without measurements, distractions or goals, this walk invites you to notice how nature moves without urgency, how nothing grows in straight lines, how everything unfolds in its own time. In this space, Type 3s reconnect with themselves beyond performance.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Try to optimize rest. When restoration becomes another task to master, it loses its power.
Reset journal prompts:
- How do I want my life to feel right now, beyond what I accomplish?
- Where am I moving faster than my body or relationships can handle?
- What would rest look like if it didn’t have to be productive?
Type 4 – The individualist
Type 4s (raise hand) live close to their inner world. Emotion, meaning, and personal truth are deeply felt – and when attention turns inward for too long, feelings can begin to seem definitive rather than fleeting. What is left unresolved can take on more weight than it deserves.
Restoration of this type comes not from deeper introspection, but from participation. She notes that while reflection is familiar territory, renewal often comes through commitment: showing up for life rather than waiting for the right mood or moment of clarity. Shifting energy outward helps loosen the grip of rumination.
Simple, concrete actions may be enough. Contributing, serving, or engaging in a shared experience brings movement where things seemed stuck, reminding Type 4s that meaning is discovered by living, not just by feeling.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Achieve more introspection when what is needed is commitment.
Reset journal prompts:
- What am I waiting for before fully appearing in my life?
- Where might action – rather than reflection – bring relief?
- What does it feel meaningful to participate in right now, even imperfectly?
Type 5 – The investigator
Type 5s are keenly aware of their inner reserves. Time, energy, and emotional capacity are carefully monitored, and when life seems demanding, this awareness can turn into overprotection. The world begins to seem exhausting rather than generating.
What most restores this type is the gentle opening of the heart. Although often perceived as cerebral, Type 5s are deeply creative and rich in emotion. She encourages practices that engage the hands and senses – creative rituals that bypass analysis and allow feelings to surface naturally.
From there, the recovery goes deeper through a secure connection. Sharing something personal, especially after a creative period, may seem counterintuitive, but it’s usually what re-energizes you the most. When the heart opens, the feeling of lack begins to lessen.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Assuming that greater isolation will lead to restoration. For Type 5s, true renewal is not about turning more inward, but about allowing measured, meaningful connection.
Reset journal prompts:
- What emotions have I been holding at arm’s length lately?
- Where could creativity help me feel more connected to myself?
- Who does it feel safe to share a little piece of my inner world with?
Type 6 – The Loyalist
Type 6s meet the world with vigilance. Their attention naturally seeks what needs to be anticipated or questioned – and while this alertness can be protective, it can also make resolution difficult. The mind remains active even in moments of rest.
Restoration begins with the safety of the body. Rather than thinking about the path to confidence, She encourages Type 6 people to reconnect with physical experience, where comfort can be felt rather than reasoned about. Slower, grounded movement brings attention back to the present moment, where a sense of safety becomes tangible.
Over time, this embodied assurance builds confidence: knowing that they already have what they need to move forward.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Overanalyzing the reset itself. For Type 6s, restoration comes not from finding the “right” answer, but from learning to trust their own experience.
Reset journal prompts:
- What evidence do I have that I am supported right now?
- Where in my body do I feel strong today?
- What small step can I take without needing certainty first?
Type 7 – The enthusiast
Possibility keeps Type 7s moving forward. New ideas, experiences, and projects offer energy and optimism, but when the focus keeps moving, it can become a way to stay ahead of discomfort. Stimulation replaces presence.
Restoration of this type begins with restraint. She encourages Type 7s to create a space of calm and simplicity: cancel their plans, say no to the next brilliant idea, and stick with what’s already there. A fundamental truth for Type 7s: what seems limiting at first often becomes a foundation.
Completion plays an important role. Completing small, ordinary tasks grounds attention in the present moment. By welcoming boredom, Type 7s rediscover a calmer and more stable feeling of joy, anchored in being rather than in action.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Turning the reset into another adventure.
Reset journal prompts:
- What happens when I allow myself to stay in the present moment?
- Where could simplicity be more nourishing than excitement?
- What would it be like to finish something before starting something new?
Type 8 – The challenger
Type 8s are wired for strength and battery life. They’re used to carrying weight and taking charge, but when everything falls on their shoulders, that strength can turn into tension.
Relief comes through surrender. Type 8s may try to soften and think about their place in something bigger. It is not a question of giving up power, but a question of perspective. Letting go of constant control creates space for rest.
She encourages Type 8s to seek out more moments of wonder. Time spent in vast landscapes (mountains, open skies) invites humility and wonder, reminding Type 8s that they don’t have to carry everything alone.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Believe that peace will come through effort. Restoration is not found in trying harder, but in allowing yourself to let go.
Reset journal prompts:
- Where do I bear responsibility that is not mine?
- What would it feel like to release control, even briefly?
- When have I felt most comfortable without needing to be strong?
Type 9 – The Peacemaker
Harmony matters deeply to Type 9s. They have an instinct to smooth edges and maintain ease, but over time this attunement can take them away from themselves. Comfort replaces presence and personal priorities take a back seat.
Restoration of this type requires activation. She encourages Type 9s to return to their bodies, connecting to an inner feeling of vitality and strength. Movements that increase heart rate help them reconnect with energy and (productive) anger that points to what matters. Not aggression, but information.
From this place of incarnation, action becomes possible. Speaking up, making a choice, or honoring a personal desire helps Type 9 people re-enter their lives with clarity.
Reset the trap to monitor:
Confusing more rest with restoration. Although sleep and comfort can be calming, they often alienate Type 9s from themselves. True renewal comes from engaging, activating, and choosing to show up fully.
- Where have I minimized my own needs or wants?
- What physical sensations help me feel awake and alive?
- What is the truth that I have been avoiding and how could I honor it with gentleness?
Takeaways
A reset doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful. As the Enneagram reminds us, what restores us lives just beyond our default patterns: the places we neglect, avoid, or think we don’t have time. Whether your reset looks like gentleness rather than discipline, stillness rather than stimulation, or movement rather than rest, the invitation is the same: listen more carefully to what your body, your energy, and your inner life are asking for right now.
In winter and beyond, the most encouraging rituals aren’t about becoming someone new. It’s about coming back to yourself with more honesty, attention and compassion.
The position An Enneagram Expert Shares the Reset You Really Need This Winter appeared first on Camille Styles.
