The Nature of Letting Go: A 2025 Reflection

One thing this past year taught me is that healing isn’t always about piling tools on top of a tender, already fragile space. 2025 has been about learning when to soften, when to pause, and when to let something gently fall away without a fuss.

What has helped me in 2025

What supported me most were simple, steady practices. Nothing fancy or complicated.

1. Embracing the simplicity of things, instead of constantly adding tools upon tools.

2. Walking…As simple as that. It genuinely has helped my brain understand that my thoughts are allowed to settle.

3. Slowing my pace enough to notice when my body needed to pause, rather than pushing through sheer exhaustion.

4. Using music to release and express. Singing, dancing, listening to lyrics, feeling it. Sometimes all four at once haha.

5. Creating space to do what I needed to get things out, whether that was writing, thinking without interruption, or simply being, especially when everything felt too loud.

These practices reminded me that healing doesn’t have to be rushed or perfected. It can meet you where you are.

What definitely didn't help me in 2025

Some habits and patterns have been quite frankly draining.

1. Constantly viewing life through a mobile phone screen, particularly comparing my life to strangers on social media which actually feels quite absurd.

2. Overcommitting my energy. Saying yes when I really meant no, even when every fibre of my being knew it wasn’t sustainable.

3. Convincing myself that this part of my journey had to be done all alone. I had convinced myself I categorically could not burden another being by reaching out for support, even when I really needed it..again absurd haha.

4. Seeking external validation. This is a recurring pattern for me, likely rooted in my childhood. Awareness hasn’t eased it yet, but it has given me language, and perhaps that’s the beginning of something softer, fingers crossed.

5. Thinking too far ahead. Instead of focusing on the next step, I have been trying to leap forty steps forward, draining myself with thoughts of how far I still believed I had to go

Letting go of these patterns hasn’t been neat or linear. Some days they still appear. But I’m learning that noticing them with honesty is part of the work too and not taking everything so seriously, trying to see the lighter side of things.

Where my work fits now

This year has helped me notice a shift in how I want to approach my work. I’ve become clearer about how I want it to feel: authentic, truthful, warm and as I mentioned above a lot lighter, not so heavy and serious.

For a long time, I sought validation by comparing my work to others doing similar things. I tried to see myself reflected in their processes, hoping it would tell me I was doing it “right.” Slowly, I’ve realised this work is meant to be individual, and uniqueness isn’t something to smooth out. It’s something to honour.

My work is an expression of how I hold space. This year has helped me to see that I want to feel more rooted in my own authenticity, and more secure in the value of doing this work in my own way. Not louder. Not faster. Just truer.

What feels lighter and more grounded now is the awareness that learning is ongoing. Wisdom continues to unfold and some things ask for a beginner’s mindset.

You’re never completely ready. Never a guru. Always evolving. And it’s natural that your work evolves too.

This awareness has fuelled my work. I’ve realised it isn’t about having the answers, but about holding space, encouraging guidance to come from within, and trusting that presence itself can be enough.

Looking ahead

This clarity has shaped the end of 2025 and now guides how I want to show up in 2026. I want to stay open to learning more about who I am, what I’m capable of, and how I can help others. I want to nurture creativity and keep practising the things that supported me this year.

I also want to hold compassion for myself, knowing that habits that didn’t help may still show up from time to time. Maybe a little less. And that’s okay.

If any part of this resonates, know you’re not alone in it. There is no rush, no finish line, just the next honest step.