By the time winter settles in, the New Year brings that familiar pressure to overhaul our lives—to optimize, reinvent, and start fresh all at once. But alongside that push, many of us feel a quieter pull for a different kind of reset. One that isn’t dramatic or performative, but softer and more sustaining. A reset that’s less about becoming someone new, and more about returning to what grounds and steadies us.
That’s where the Enneagram can be especially helpful. Rather than offering another set of universal rules or routines, it invites a more personalized kind of care—one rooted in understanding our patterns. The Enneagram helps illuminate what tends to deplete us, what we overdo when we’re out of balance, and what actually supports us when we need to reset. Used as a tool for self-awareness (not a box to put ourselves in), it offers a framework for meeting ourselves with more clarity and compassion—not just during a seasonal reset, but in how we support our energy, relationships, and well-being year-round.
Featured image from our interview with Riley Reed by Michelle Nash.
Elle Pugh is a Certified Enneagram Facilitator and Coach, Registered Nurse, and entrepreneur dedicated to holistic wellness and personal growth. Elle is committed to helping individuals and organizations understand themselves so they can find healing and renewed connection with one another.
A More Personal Way to Reset
To bring this idea of personalized reset rituals to life, I spoke with Elle Pugh, a Certified Enneagram Facilitator and Coach, and an entrepreneur dedicated to holistic wellness and personal growth. With a background spanning pediatric cardiac intensive care, healthcare startups, and leadership training for Fortune 100 companies, Elle approaches the Enneagram through a deeply human lens—one shaped by both clinical care and lived experience.
Elle’s work centers on the belief that when individuals understand themselves more fully, they’re better equipped to heal, connect, and create lives that feel sustainable from the inside out. In the context of enneagram rituals, that means moving away from prescriptive resets and toward practices that meet each person exactly where they are.
The Best Reset Ritual for Each Enneagram Type
While the desire for a reset is universal, the way we actually restore ourselves is deeply personal. What soothes one person can leave another feeling more depleted—and often, the practices we reach for instinctively are the very ones that keep us out of 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 may be avoiding, and what truly helps them come back to themselves. Think of these not as rules to follow, but as gentle starting points—simple, supportive practices that can be adapted to your season, your energy, and your life.
Type 1 — The Reformer
Responsibility has a way of crowding out rest for Type 1s. This type is deeply oriented toward doing what’s right, often holding themselves to exacting standards even in moments meant for ease. Over time, that internal pressure can make slowing down feel uncomfortable—or undeserved.
What restores Type 1s most isn’t more structure, but softness. Elle describes true renewal for this type as heart work rather than body work—practices that reconnect them with desire, imagination, and ease. A vision-based ritual, like creating a vision board rooted in playfulness and serenity rather than achievement, can gently loosen rigidity and invite a more spacious inner life.
Connection matters here, too. Instead of retreating into silence, Type 1s often benefit from time with people who invite laughter and lightness. Elle’s image of restoration for this type is simple and telling: a slow, sunlit morning—an unmade bed not from neglect, but from carefreeness; a moment that prioritizes being over doing.
Reset trap to watch for:
Assuming the answer is more discipline or more control. For Type 1s, restoration rarely comes from tightening the reins—it comes from gently letting them go.
Reset journal prompts:
- Where in my life could I allow more ease instead of improvement?
- What feels genuinely 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 Helper
Caring for others comes naturally to Type 2s. They’re deeply attuned to what’s needed in a room, often offering support before it’s asked for. Over time, that outward focus can pull attention away from their own inner landscape, leaving little space to notice what they need.
Restoration for this type begins with turning inward. Elle emphasizes the importance of intentional alone time—moments set aside not for reflection on others, but for honest self-connection. Journaling can be especially supportive, offering a private place to explore feelings without managing anyone else’s response.
Even brief rituals of solitude help Type 2s return to themselves. From that grounded place, their generosity becomes more sustainable—rooted in choice rather than obligation.
Reset trap to watch for:
Letting “self-care” become another form of service. For Type 2s, a reset only works when it’s protected—time set aside not to give, fix, or support, but to just be.
Reset journal prompts:
- What do I need today that I haven’t named yet?
- How do I feel when I’m not tending to anyone else’s needs?
- Where might I practice asking—rather than offering?
Type 3 — The Achiever
Speed is often the first signal that something is off for Type 3s. Momentum feels energizing, even necessary—but when life becomes overly achievement-driven, constant motion can crowd out presence. The pace may be impressive, but it’s unsustainable in the long-term.
What restores this type most isn’t stopping altogether, but realignment. Elle encourages Type 3s to slow down enough to reflect on how they want their lives and relationships to feel (not on what they want to accomplish). Tuning into the fragility of life—not as fear, but as clarity—helps bring attention back to what truly matters.
A simple practice can make this shift tangible: the solo heart walk. Without metrics, distractions, or goals, this walk invites noticing—how nature moves without urgency, how nothing grows in straight lines, how everything unfolds in its own time. In that spaciousness, Type 3s reconnect with themselves beyond performance.
Reset trap to watch for:
Trying 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’m accomplishing?
- Where am I moving faster than my body or relationships can sustain?
- What would rest look like if it didn’t need to be productive?
Type 4 — The Individualist
Type 4s (raises hand) live close to their inner world. Emotion, meaning, and personal truth are felt deeply—and when attention turns inward for too long, feelings can begin to feel definitive rather than passing. What’s unresolved can take on more weight than it deserves.
Restoration for this type comes not from deeper introspection, but from participation. Elle notes that while reflection is familiar territory, renewal often arrives through engagement—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, tangible action can be enough. Contributing, serving, or committing to a shared experience brings movement where things felt stuck, reminding Type 4s that meaning is discovered through living—not just feeling.
Reset trap to watch for:
Reaching for more introspection when what’s needed is engagement.
Reset journal prompts:
- What am I waiting for before fully showing up in my life?
- Where could action—rather than reflection—bring relief?
- What feels meaningful to participate in right now, even imperfectly?
Type 5 — The Investigator
Type 5s are acutely aware of their inner reserves. Time, energy, and emotional capacity are carefully monitored, and when life feels demanding, that awareness can turn into overprotection. The world begins to feel draining rather than generative.
What restores this type most is gentle heart opening. Though often perceived as cerebral, Type 5s are deeply creative and emotionally rich. Elle encourages practices that engage the hands and senses—creative rituals that bypass analysis and allow feeling to surface naturally.
From there, restoration deepens through safe connection. Sharing something personal, especially after creative time, can feel counterintuitive, but it’s usually what replenishes energy most. When the heart opens, the sense of scarcity begins to ease.
Reset trap to watch for:
Assuming more isolation will lead to restoration. For Type 5s, true renewal comes not from pulling further inward, but from allowing measured, meaningful connection.
Reset journal prompts:
- What emotions have I been holding at arm’s length lately?
- Where might creativity help me feel more connected to myself?
- Who feels safe to share a small piece of my inner world with?
Type 6 — The Loyalist
Type 6s meet the world with alertness. Their attention naturally scans for what needs to be anticipated or questioned—and while that vigilance can be protective, it can also make it difficult to settle. The mind stays active even in moments meant for rest.
Restoration begins with safety in the body. Rather than thinking their way back into trust, Elle encourages Type 6s to reconnect with physical experience—where reassurance can be felt rather than reasoned. Slower, grounding movement brings attention back to the present moment, where a sense of safety becomes tangible.
Over time, this embodied reassurance builds confidence: the knowing that they already have what they need to move forward.
Reset trap to watch for:
Overanalyzing the reset itself. For Type 6s, restoration doesn’t come from finding the “right” answer—it comes from learning to trust their own grounded experience.
Reset journal prompts:
- What evidence do I have that I’m supported right now?
- Where in my body do I feel strong today?
- What’s one small step I can take without needing certainty first?
Type 7 — The Enthusiast
Possibility pulls Type 7s forward. New ideas, experiences, and plans offer energy and optimism—but when attention keeps moving ahead, it can become a way of staying one step ahead of discomfort. Stimulation replaces presence.
Restoration for this type begins with restraint. Elle encourages Type 7s to create space for stillness and simplicity—canceling plans, saying no to the next shiny idea, and staying with what’s already here. A core truth for Type 7s: what feels limiting at first often becomes grounding.
Completion plays an important role. Finishing small, ordinary tasks anchors attention in the present moment. By welcoming boredom, Type 7s rediscover a quieter, steadier sense of joy rooted in being rather than doing.
Reset trap to watch for:
Turning the reset into another adventure.
Reset journal prompts:
- What happens when I let myself stay with the present moment?
- Where might simplicity feel more nourishing than excitement?
- What would it look like to finish something before starting something new?
Type 8 — The Challenger
Type 8s are wired for strength and self-reliance. They’re accustomed to carrying weight and taking charge—but when everything rests on their shoulders, that strength can turn into strain.
Relief comes through surrender. Type 8s can try to soften into stillness and reflect on their place within something larger. This isn’t about giving up power—it’s about perspective. Letting go of constant control creates room for rest.
Elle encourages Type 8s to look for more moments of awe. Time spent in vast landscapes—mountains, open skies—invites humility and wonder, reminding Type 8s they don’t have to carry everything alone.
Reset trap to watch for:
Believing peace will come through effort. Restoration isn’t found in trying harder—it comes from allowing themselves to let go.
Reset journal prompts:
- Where am I holding responsibility that isn’t mine?
- What would it feel like to release control, even briefly?
- When have I felt most at ease without needing to be strong?
Type 9 — The Peacemaker
Harmony matters deeply to Type 9s. They have an instinct for smoothing edges and maintaining ease—but over time, that attunement can pull them away from themselves. Comfort replaces presence, and personal priorities fade into the background.
Restoration for this type comes through activation. Elle encourages Type 9s to return to the body, connecting with an inner sense of vitality and strength. Movement that raises the heart rate helps reconnect them with energy—and with the (productiv) anger that points toward what matters. Not aggression, but information.
From that place of embodiment, action becomes possible. Speaking up, making a choice, or honoring a personal desire helps Type 9s re-enter their lives with clarity.
Reset trap to watch for:
Mistaking more rest for restoration. While sleep and coziness can feel soothing, they often pull Type 9s further away from themselves. True renewal comes from engagement, activation, and choosing to show up fully.
- Where have I been minimizing my own needs or desires?
- What physical sensations help me feel awake and alive?
- What’s one truth I’ve been avoiding—and how might I gently honor it?
The Takeaway
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 overlook, avoid, or assume we don’t have time for. Whether your reset looks like softness instead of discipline, stillness instead of stimulation, or movement instead of rest, the invitation is the same: to listen more closely to what your body, energy, and inner life are asking for right now.
In winter and beyond, the most supportive rituals aren’t about becoming someone new. They’re about returning to yourself with more honesty, care, and compassion.
