Newsletter #6 Resetting Our Communication Practice

A mindful close to the year — reflect, release, and return to what matters.

Your Invited:

You’re Invited — End the Year Calmly
As a member of The Mindful Communication Insider, you’re invited to a special year-end workshop: End the Year Calmly — a gentle space to release what you’re carrying, reset your communication practice, and step into 2026 with clarity.

This workshop is completely free for Insider members. I’d love for you to join me.

Mark your calendars for Friday, December 5th at 12 p.m. est. You'll receive the zoom link and details in your inbox this week! 

🧠 Small Essay: The Power of Returning

December has a way of drawing our attention backward and forward at the same time.

We look at the year behind us and notice where we spoke clearly, where we reacted out of fear, where we listened well, and where we didn’t.

We also look ahead — imagining who we want to be, how we want to show up, and what we hope to leave behind.

But in mindful communication, a reset isn’t about wiping the slate clean.

It’s not about perfection or performance.

It’s about returning.

Returning to presence.
Returning to awareness.
Returning to the values that guide the way we speak and listen.

One of the most compassionate truths in this practice is that we never “lose” our progress — we simply drift from it.

And drifting is normal. Expected. Human.

Every conversation, every moment of tension or misunderstanding, gives us the chance to come back to ourselves.

What allows a reset is not effort — but noticing.

Noticing when we’ve moved into impatience.
Noticing when we’re defending instead of connecting.
Noticing when our self-talk has turned sharp or unkind.
Noticing when we’re no longer speaking from intention, but from worry, habit, or fear.

And then: pausing. Breathing. Beginning again.

Resetting our communication practice is the opposite of starting over.
Starting over often feels heavy — like we need to erase something or fix ourselves.
Resetting is an act of compassion. It acknowledges:
“I drifted. And I can return now.”

This month, as the year closes, I invite you to bring awareness to three things:

1. What you practiced well.
What felt aligned? Where did you notice growth?
Where did you express something clearly?
Where did you catch yourself before reacting?
Where did you listen with an open mind?

2. What you’re ready to release.
What patterns were exhausting?
What tone feels heavy when you hear it in your own voice?
What stories about yourself — or about others — no longer feel true?

3. What you want to move toward in 2026.
What intention do you want at the center of your communication?
Kindness? Clarity? Curiosity?
Slow, thoughtful pace?
More truth-telling? More listening?

Resetting isn’t a dramatic transformation — it’s a quiet returning.
A promise to yourself that you’ll keep coming back to what matters, again and again.

Because the truth is:
You don’t have to speak perfectly.
You don’t have to listen flawlessly.
You don’t have to get every moment right.

You simply have to return.

Pause. Notice. Reset.

That’s the essence of mindful communication — and the most powerful way to begin a new year.

💬 Self-Talk Script: Returning to Presence

“It’s okay to begin again.”
“I can start fresh in this moment.”
“I don’t have to have said the perfect thing; I can choose what I say next.”
“I can pause, breathe, and return to kindness.”
“I’ve learned something here — I can bring that forward.”

How to use it:
When you catch yourself reacting automatically or replaying a difficult conversation, use one of these phrases to anchor back into your practice. The language of beginning again is soft — not corrective, but compassionate.

🧘 Mini Guide: A Year-End Reset Practice

Step 1: Reflect
Think back on the year: what conversations felt aligned with your values, and which ones pulled you off center? Notice without judgment.

Step 2: Release
Write down one communication habit you’re ready to let go of — a pattern, tone, or belief that no longer serves you.
Then take a breath and imagine setting it down.

Step 3: Reconnect
Return to your core intention. Why do you practice mindful communication? What does it bring you?
Write or say your intention out loud: “In 2026, I want my words to bring more ___.”

Step 4: Reset
Choose one small, specific way to begin again.
Maybe it’s pausing before responding. Maybe it’s listening without preparing your reply.
Whatever you choose, make it simple enough to actually practice.

🌿 Journal Prompts: Closing the Year with Awareness

1. What communication moments from this year am I proud of — large or small?

2. What patterns or habits do I want to release before the new year?

3. How have I grown in how I listen, speak, or respond?

4. Where do I still feel resistance, defensiveness, or fear — and what might they be teaching me?

5. What intention will guide my communication practice in 2026?

🧘 Forgiveness Meditation

The end of the year is a good time to practice forgiveness - letting go of what may be getting in the way of having more calm and compassionate conversations. Click here.

🎧 Private Podcast Episode:

“Resetting, Not Starting Over”
A reflective guided episode helping listeners revisit their year of communication — with compassion rather than critique. Includes a short meditation on the phrase “begin again.”

✨ Closing Reflection:

Every moment is a doorway back to presence.
You don’t have to erase what’s been.
You just have to return — again and again — to the practice of beginning again -  awareness, kindness, and clarity.

Share Your Comments

Don't forget to send in your questions so I can answer them in the next Ask Me Anything. Click here. 

Share your questions and get my support! Click Here