The Last Day of 2025: What You’re Allowed to Leave Behind
There’s something quietly sacred about the last day of a year.
Not because everything suddenly makes sense — but because you’re standing at the edge of what was and what no longer needs to come with you.
December 31st isn’t just about resolutions or fresh starts.
It’s about release.
The habits you outgrew.
The patterns that once protected you but now exhaust you.
The relationships you kept out of loyalty, fear, or familiarity.
The versions of yourself that did the best they could — and don’t need to keep trying so hard.
You don’t need to drag every chapter of 2025 into 2026 to prove it mattered.
Some things mattered because they ended.
Some things served you by teaching you what no longer aligns.
And some things are meant to be honoured — and left behind.
Sitting With Ecclesiastes 3:6
“A time to keep and a time to throw away.” — Ecclesiaster 3:6
Scripture reminds us that wisdom is not in holding onto everything — it’s in knowing what season you’re in.
There is a time to build.
And a time to rest.
A time to cling.
And a time to release.
God does not ask you to carry what He never intended you to keep.
Letting go is not a failure of faith.
It’s often an act of discernment.
You are not ungrateful for releasing what no longer serves you.
You are not disloyal for choosing alignment over obligation.
You are not weak for closing a door that kept you small.
Sometimes obedience looks like surrender.
Sometimes growth looks like release.
And sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is say: “This no longer fits the person I’m becoming.”
Walking With the Stoics
The Stoics believed that a good life is not built on accumulation — but on discernment.
Marcus Aurelius wrote: “If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.”
And we could extend that wisdom:
If it no longer aligns, do not carry it.
If it drains you, do not cling to it.
If it keeps you stuck in old versions of yourself, do not drag it forward.
Stoicism teaches us to regularly ask:
“Is this essential?”
“Does this align with my values?”
“Am I holding this out of choice or fear?”
Endings are not meant to be dramatic.
They can be quiet.
Intentional.
Grounded.
You don’t need a dramatic goodbye to release something.
You just need clarity.
The Inner Work
Letting go is difficult because familiarity feels like safety.
Even when something hurts, even when it drains you, even when it no longer reflects who you are — your nervous system recognizes it.
So you stay:
in patterns you’ve outgrown
in roles you never chose
in dynamics that cost you peace
in relationships that don’t meet you where you are
Not because they’re right — but because they’re known.
But growth often requires choosing the unfamiliar over the comfortable.
Letting go doesn’t mean the past was wrong.
It means the season has changed.
You are allowed to honour what was without building your future around it.
What You’re Allowed to Leave in 2025
You’re allowed to leave behind:
coping patterns that once helped you survive but now limit you
relationships that require you to abandon yourself
habits rooted in fear, scarcity, or over-functioning
guilt for changing your mind
loyalty that costs you your integrity
versions of yourself that existed only to be accepted
You don’t need to prove anything by carrying these forward.
You are allowed to travel lighter.
What You’re Allowed to Carry Into 2026
You are allowed to carry:
relationships that feel mutual and grounding
values that guide your decisions
boundaries that protect your energy
lessons without the shame
growth without the grief attached
self-trust
rest
clarity
peace
You don’t need to become someone new overnight.
You are already becoming.
A Moment for Reflection
Before the year ends, take a breath and ask yourself:
What patterns did I outgrow this year?
What did I hold onto longer than I needed to?
What am I proud of releasing — even if it was painful?
What values do I want to guide my decisions moving forward?
Who and what truly align with the person I am becoming?
You don’t need a long list of resolutions.
Sometimes the most powerful intention is simply: “I will no longer carry what costs me my peace.”
As the Year Closes
Let this be a gentle ending — not a rushed one.
You don’t need to have everything figured out tonight.
You don’t need a perfect plan for tomorrow.
You don’t need to reinvent yourself at midnight.
You just need to tell the truth about what you’re ready to release and what you’re choosing to protect.
Some things end because they’re finished.
Some things stay because they align.
And you are allowed to step into the new year lighter than you arrived.
🌿 Ready to Begin the Inner Alignment Work in 2026?
If this year stirred up change, grief, growth, or transition, therapy can be a space to process what you’re leaving behind and intentionally shape what comes next.
I’m currently accepting new virtual clients across: Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.
Book a complimentary 20-minute consultation:
👉 samacounselling.janeapp.com
