A Gentle End-of-Year Reflection
As the year winds down, I always feel a mix of emotions — gratitude, joy, tenderness… and if I’m honest, tiredness.
Coaching is one of the greatest joys in my life. Every session lifts me in a way that’s hard to put into words. Being invited into people’s stories — their growth, their struggles, their recalibration — is a genuine privilege I don’t take that lightly.
This year, I’m ending it tired. Properly tired.
It’s been a year of holding space, expanding my practice, navigating life, family and health challenges, pivoting, learning, and growing.
So as we move into the end of the year, I wanted to share something other than motivational goal-setting or “New Year, New You” energy.
Instead, this is an invitation to slow down and gently reflect on the end of year.
When Christmas Feels Complicated
For many Neurodivergent people, the Christmas period can be a bit — or a lot — overwhelming.
It can be emotionally heavy, socially draining, sensory overloading, and deeply complex due to family dynamics, grief, or expectations.
If that’s you, I want you to know this:
- You’re allowed boundaries.
- You’re allowed to say no.
- You’re allowed to step away, opt out, or keep things small.
“Good enough” really is good enough.
Gentle Supports for the Christmas Period
Here are a few gentle supports that an help you to get through the Christmas period:
- Choose one non-negotiable that supports your nervous system: a daily walk, a time limit on a social gathering, choosing to skip the booze this year, a consistent bed-time. Choose something that works for your nervous system.
- Build in transtions between events and recovery time after social events. Extend it longer than you usually do.
- Create micro-moments of grounding: a walk, fresh air, bare feet on the earth, a quiet pause in the bathroom, noise-cancelling headphones, a hug with your pet.
- Find moments of joy in your way, not the way you or others think you should.
You Don’t Need to Reinvent Yourself for the New Year
As we wrap up the year, and since I love a good reflection, here’s a few gentle reflections to consider over the coming weeks:
- What do I genuinely have capacity for right now?
- Where can I give myself permission to do less, say no, or rest?
- Where did I surprise myself this year?
- What might support future-me, even in a tiny way?
- What can I gently leave behind this year, and what do I want to carry forward?
There are no right answers, and these aren’t productivity hacks — they’re questions to help you tune in and nurture your nervous system.
And in case you need a permission:
You don’t need a brand-new planner.
You don’t need to overhaul your life.
And you don’t need to emerge from January a “better version” of yourself.
You’re allowed to arrive at the end of the year exactly as you are.
Moving gently into the new year
January doesn’t need to be a sprint. It can be a soft landing.
If planning feels supportive, great. If rest is what’s needed first, that’s valid too.
Me, well, I’m practising what I preach.
I’ll be taking a short break over the holiday period to rest, reset, and recalibrate — following Freya’s (my assistant and rescue Doberman) lead with more naps and a few treats, fewer expectations, and plenty of pauses.
Wherever this season finds you, I hope you can meet yourself with kindness.
You’ve done enough.
You are enough.
Rest is not a reward — it’s a requirement.
— Janine
Coaching to support you in the New Year
If you’re reading this and feeling tired, stretched, burnt out, are crawling to the finish line, or are quietly questioning how to move into the new year, you don’t have to do that alone.
In my work as an ADHD and AuDHD coach in Australia, I see this pattern every year.
Coaching can be a space to slow things down, make sense of what’s been heavy, get clearer on your overall values, needs and priorities in this season of your life, and design the next season in a way that actually fits you.
If and when it feels right, you’re welcome to book a coaching discovery call with me here.
No urgency. No pressure. Just support, when you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Christmas period often involves increased social demands, disrupted routines, sensory overload, and family dynamics. For ADHD and AuDHD adults, this combination can significantly increase nervous system load and exhaustion.
For many people, yes, it is, particularly if you’re feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or unsure how to approach the new year. ADHD coaching at this time often focuses less on goals and more on capacity, rest, reflection, reset and nervous system support.
No. Many clients come to ADHD or AuDHD coaching without clear goals, or with goals that no longer feel right – especially if they have been late diagnosed. Coaching can help you clarify what matters now, not what you think you should want.
Absolutely. Sustainable ADHD coaching recognises that rest, recovery, and pacing are foundational, not optional. Many coaching conversations centre around reducing burnout and breaking the burnout cycle, rather than doing more.
