What’s the Difference Between a Micro Reset and a Big Reset?

Michelle Martinez
Sep 10
2 min read

Someone asked me recently: “Michelle, how do I know if I need a big reset or just a teeny reset?”

Honestly? That question stuck with me. 🤔

Because when life starts lifin’—flare days, messy school schedules, overcommitting, you name it—you’ve probably tried the big glamorous reset. And if you’re like me, you ended up more exhausted. 😩

This isn’t about the perfect plan. It’s about what actually kept me afloat.

When Life Was Lifin’

I was in the middle of a flare week, coming off an infusion, and my brain felt like soup. Every to-do list looked like a mountain. 🧗🏽

The pressure to “get it together” was loud. But instead of forcing myself into a hard reset, I had to ask: What’s the smallest shift that could help me breathe right now?

What Made It Worse

Here’s what didn’t help (at all):

Starting over with a fresh master list
Pretending I could “catch up” on everything
Pushing through like nothing was wrong

All of that left me more depleted. My nervous system was screaming for calm, not hustle. 😩

The Tiny Shift That Saved Me

I turned to my Bare Minimum System: three categories—household, personal, business.

I picked one priority in each, then broke them down into 10-minute chunks. ⏱️

Sometimes that looked like setting a timer, doing the one task, and letting myself stop when the timer went off.

It wasn’t fancy. But it gave me enough breathing room to stop the spiral and get through the next hour. 😮‍💨

Why I Keep Coming Back to This

Micro resets aren’t about productivity. They’re about calm.

They give you clarity without demanding a full rebuild of your life.

A fellow spoonie mom once brain-dumped her chaotic schedule during a flare week. Instead of overhauling everything, I showed her how to pick one micro reset. That single shift stopped her spiral and gave her the space to breathe again.

That’s what these systems are for: tiny lifelines that hold you when everything else feels heavy.

A Note to You

If you’re in that messy place right now, please know this: you’re not broken. You’re human. 🥰

Start with one micro reset. Pick three priorities. Set the timer. Then breathe.

And if all you can do is one thing today? That’s still enough.

Want Some Extra Calm?

Feeling stuck in the spiral? That’s why I created the Chaos Download. You dump the mess. I’ll send back calm, clarity, and your next doable step—all in one message.