It’s Time for a New Year

As the final hours of 2025 quietly pass, I find myself pausing, not to rush into resolutions, but to intentionally release. The space between years holds a powerful invitation: to let go of what no longer serves our well-being and make room for what actually sustains us.

As a licensed therapist and self-care advocate, I don’t just think about this transition personally, I think about it professionally, collectively, and ethically.

• How we define healing matters.

• What we normalize in helping spaces matters.

• What we leave behind can be just as important as what we carry forward.

  
  

Here’s what I am consciously leaving in 2025, for myself and for the people I serve:

Hustle Disguised as Healing

Healing does not require exhaustion. Growth does not demand constant output.

True healing is often quieter, slower, and far less performative than hustle culture would have us believe.

• In 2025, I’m leaving behind the idea that pushing harder is a form of self-improvement.

Over-Explaining My Boundaries

Boundaries do not need dissertations. In the new year, I am releasing the habit of over-justifying my needs to make them more palatable to others.

• A clear no is complete.

• A pause is enough.

Productivity as a Measure of Worth

Our value is not calculated by how much we produce, serve, or accomplish.

This belief harms everyone, but especially those in helping professions.

• In 2026, worth will not be measured by busyness, but by alignment and well-being.

Saying “Yes” When My Nervous System Says “No”

The body speaks before burnout arrives. I’m choosing to listen sooner. Honoring nervous system cues is not avoidance, it’s wisdom.

• Ignoring them has a cost I am no longer willing to pay.

Self-Care That Ignores Rest

If self-care only adds more tasks to your to-do list, it’s not care, it’s pressure.

Rest is not an afterthought; it is foundational.

•  I’m leaving behind versions of self-care that center optimization instead of restoration.

Normalizing Burnout in Helping Professions

Burnout should not be a badge of honor. It is not “just part of the job.”

• In 2026, I am committed to challenging systems and narratives that expect helpers to deplete themselves in the name of service.