If you're counting down the days until this year ends, you're not alone. So many of us are running on empty, desperately asking "are we there yet?" as we try to push through to some imaginary finish line. There's this collective exhaustion hanging in the air. We’re collectively wanting to get beyond survival mode. It’s a feeling that if we can just make it to the end of 2025, everything will magically reset and 2026 will be better. But! Simply getting through doesn't guarantee anything will change in your life. The question then is what if the way we're moving through life right now is exactly what we'll carry into next year unless we pause and do something different?
This year has thrown life bombs at so many of us. For almost everyone that I’ve seen in my practice, plans we made in January feel like they belong to a different person entirely. Time has moved so fast that we've lost our grip on it. And yet somehow it also feels like this year will never end. We're exhausted, overwhelmed, and honestly a bit shocked at how out of control everything feels. We’re in a state of chronic stress. The problem isn't just this year. It's that we're trying to survive instead of learning how to support ourselves differently through the chaos. It’s time to move beyond survival mode.
The Illusion of a Finish Line that’s Beyond Survival Mode
We keep telling ourselves that once we get to the end of the year, we'll finally rest. We'll reset. We'll start fresh with new energy and clarity. But think back to last year. Didn't 2024 fly by too? Especially that end part. And wasn't there a similar hope that 2025 would be calmer, more manageable? So take a deep breath and let’s face this one together... Time definitely isn't slowing down. And life isn't magically going to suddenly become less complicated just because the calendar flips over.
When we focus only on getting through, we lose the present moment entirely. Your body is probably giving you signals. And life starts happening to us instead of with us. We're tossed around like we're drowning in the ocean, desperately hoping to reach the shore. What if instead of just trying to survive the waves, we learned how to get into a boat? What if we could sail on top of the water instead of being pulled under by it? Now that’s a shift, from surviving to navigating. And that shift, it changes everything.
Coming Back To Yourself
The feeling of being out of control is really about feeling unsafe. And when we feel unsafe, we try to control everything even more. We double down on our plans, push harder, and then watch as things unravel anyway. Your relationships are effected, it's exhausting, and honestly quite traumatising. The peace we're searching for doesn't come from controlling life. It comes from reconnecting with ourselves.
Your soul has a story, and when you begin to understand it, everything shifts. Cause there's more to your life than just ticking boxes and achieving things. You start to see why certain things happened, why life redirected you, why some doors closed while others opened. This isn't about making excuses for hard things. It's about finding meaning in them. Meaning so you can feel, you can process it, and so you can move through it. When you can step out of the chaos and see your life from your soul's perspective, you find clarity. You find that safety you've been craving and might even start to experience ‘healthy stress”. Not because life becomes predictable, but because you trust yourself to handle whatever comes. And for you to finally move beyond survival mode.
Self Care Isn’t Selfish, It’s Essential
We started this year thinking we could help everyone else while squeezing in a little bit of self-care on the side. Well hasn’t that approach has blown up in our faces! We're burnt out, resentful, and now we’re running on fumes. The biggest shift we need to make moving forward is this... fit your own mask first. Not because you're selfish. But it’s true what they say, “that you can't pour from an empty cup”.
I get it though I do! Learning how to truly support yourself isn't something you just wake up knowing how to do. It takes exploration, compassion, and a willingness to look at your whole story, not just the highlight reel. Every experience you've had, every challenge you've faced, every moment that stopped you in your tracks. They all mean something. They’re what’s going to move you beyond survival mode. They're puzzle pieces that when put together, reveal who you really are and what you're working on. And when you see that bigger picture, you stop feeling like a victim of your circumstances and start feeling empowered by your journey.
Choose Connection Over Survival
If there's a part of you that feels traumatised by this year, then there's probably also an even bigger part of you that never wants to do this again. And that's actually a gift. It's your soul saying, "Please listen, there has to be a better way." The truth is, 2026 will come whether we're ready or not. Time will keep moving at this quickening pace. But we get to choose how we move through it.
You don't have to keep being tossed around by life. You don't have to collapse over the finish line every year, exhausted and depleted. There's another way. One where you're in the boat, sailing with intention. Where you're in the front row watching your life unfold with curiosity instead of being crushed in the mosh pit of chaos. And this shift happens when you reconnect with your authentic self. It happens when you understand your soul story, and when you learn how to truly support yourself through whatever life brings.
This year has stripped away so many distractions. It's brought us back to ourselves, even if that's felt lonely at times. But in that loneliness, there's also strength. There's a deeper connection to who you really are. You're forever changed by what you've been through. And that change has given you resilience, depth, and insight you didn't have before. Now it's time to move forward from here. Not by just surviving, but by learning how to live authentically and support yourself in a completely different way. And supporting yourself in this way will begin to unravel your unresolved stress.
Your Story Matters
There's a beautiful part of you that wants to be the best version of yourself. That part has been calling to you all year, even through the chaos. 2025 was meant to be the year of authentic self, and while it might not have looked how you expected, it's done exactly what it needed to do. It's brought you back to you.
Moving forward isn't about making more plans or setting bigger goals. It's about understanding your story in your daily life, seeing yourself in a new light, and being in awe of your own journey. When you can see your life from your soul's perspective, everything that’s happened. Then even the hard stuff starts to make sense. You find peace in the chaos. You find safety in yourself. And you discover that you've always had what you needed to navigate this life.
So instead of just asking "are we there yet?" or desperately trying to get through, the first step is to ask yourself this: How do I want to support myself moving forward? What would it feel like to sail on top of the water instead of drowning in it? What if I could trust myself enough to handle whatever 2026 brings?
The answers to those questions aren't found in rushing to the finish line. They're found in pausing, reconnecting, and choosing to support yourself in a way you never have before. It’s in honouring those as small goals. It’s those answers that will support you to build a new comfort zone. That's where the real transformation happens. That's where move beyond survival mode and start truly living.
You've got this. And more importantly, you've got you.
If you're feeling overwhelmed and exhausted from the chaos of 2025, it's time to take a step back and reconnect with your authentic self. Join us for our transformative retreat, where you'll find the space to pause, reflect, and rediscover your inner truth.
At the retreat, you'll learn how to support yourself differently, explore your soul story, and gain the tools you need to sail through life's challenges with confidence and clarity. Don't just survive! Embrace the opportunity to transform your journey and step into 2026 with renewed energy and purpose. You deserve it!