10 Things to Let Go of Before 2026 (From a Therapist’s Perspective)
There’s something about the end of the year that makes everything feel louder—the hopes, the disappointments, the “maybe next year” dreams you tucked away in July. December is basically the emotional equivalent of looking in the mirror under fluorescent lighting: honest in a way you didn’t exactly ask for.
And every year, without fail, people sit on my therapy couch and whisper some version of the same thing:
“I just want to feel lighter next year.”
“I want to stop carrying so much.”
“I don’t want to drag the same patterns into a new season.”
So this is my gentle therapist-offering to you:
10 things you’re allowed to let go of before 2026.
Not because you need to reinvent yourself.
Not because you’re broken.
But because you deserve to enter the new year with less weight on your shoulders.
Let’s begin.
1. The belief that you have to handle everything alone
You don’t earn extra credit in life for being self-sufficient to the point of exhaustion. Let someone in. Delegate one thing. Allow help.
2. The pressure to be “on” all December
You do not exist to be festive, cheerful, or emotionally available on command. You’re human. Not a holiday mascot.
3. Self-blame for things you didn’t cause
You can’t control other people’s choices, moods, reactions, or healing. You can only control your boundaries—and your peace.
4. Emotional responsibilities that were never yours
If you were raised to be the keeper of the peace, the caretaker, the emotional sponge… you get to put that job down now.
5. Believing your worth is measured by productivity
You are not what you got done this year. You are not your to-do list. Rest is not laziness; rest is survival.
6. The habit of shrinking yourself to keep the peace
Your needs matter. Your voice matters. You don’t have to become small to stay loved.
7. Relationships that rely on your silence to function
You shouldn’t have to disappear emotionally to keep someone else comfortable. Love should not require self-abandonment.
8. Comparing yourself to the imaginary life you “should” have by now
There is no schedule for healing, success, love, marriage, babies, career paths, or confidence. Your timeline is not late.
9. Saying yes out of guilt instead of desire
Guilt is not a compass. Want is. Alignment is. Authenticity is.
10. Carrying emotional stories that aren’t yours anymore
The version of you who struggled in 2017, 2020, or even last month… she did her best. But you don’t have to keep living from her fears.
You get to update your internal narrative.
You get to choose softness instead of survival.
You get to enter 2026 with space to breathe.
A Final, Tender Thought
Letting go is not about forgetting, erasing, or pretending it didn’t matter.
It’s about releasing what no longer supports the person you’re becoming.
Think of it like unpacking a heavy suitcase at the end of a long trip—
not because the items were useless,
but because you don’t need to keep carrying them.
Give yourself permission to step into the new year lighter.
Not transformed, not perfected—just lighter.
And that is enough.
