Navigating the New Year with Self-Compassion
From mid-December to mid-January, all over pop culture and social media we are hit with messages to do more. New Year, new you. All these messages are designed to pull on our worries and increase feelings of guilt and shame. All the shoulds... for diet, exercise, meditation, home maintenance, money saving… striving for more.
What if this year, we didn’t should all over ourselves or each other?
What if the calendar flipped to 2026 and we collectively took a deep breath, held it, and slowly let it go. Then showed up with gentleness, kindness, and care to our individual and community well-being rather than a frantic striving for more. At Navigate Mental Health Services, we’re here if you want to move gently towards sustainable change into 2026 using concepts from Self-compassion.
Self-compassion, according to Dr. Kristin Neff, encompasses three core parts: mindful awareness, embracing common humanity, and self-kindness. There are two complimentary aspects, tender and fierce self-compassion, that guide these practices in daily life. Self-compassion doesn’t mean avoiding responsibility or pretending that important things don’t matter. It means supporting yourself through difficulty so you can cope, heal, and move forward. Self-compassion isn’t selfish- it emphasizes boundaries, autonomy, and the importance of community.
For many people—especially those who’ve experienced trauma, chronic stress, ADHD, or burnout—self-compassion can feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable at first. That’s okay. It’s a skill, and like any skill, it develops with practice and support. At Navigate MHS we take a collaborative approach to our mental health services. We work with you to find the messy middle where needs, preferences, values, and demands collide and empower you to choose the next step that works in your life that is sustainable for you.
Though self-compassion can sound basic, its magic is in the power to transform suffering through the regular practice of showing up to what it is happening with empowered kindness.
One place to start your self-compassion journey is through a short reflection practice called The Pause & Scan:
Notice: “This is a difficult moment. I am struggling.”
Normalize: “Struggling is part of being human.”
Respond kindly: “How can I be kind to myself in this moment?”
Problem solve when regulated: “What will help me moving forward?” Consider if there is an unmet need, unstated expectation creating pressure, or a boundary required in an important relationship.
Even one sentence of kind self-talk can help your body feel safer and more supported. This can improve critical thinking and problem-solving capacity. The key thing is to regulate and then reflect. After reflecting, give yourself time to make small adjustments in different aspects of life that allow for more ease each day.
Some ways to respond kindly to yourself in a tough moment include:
- taking a gentle stretch break
- having a drink of water or tea
- taking a short walk if you’re able
- drawing a design
- talking to a trusted friend
- playing a game
- listening to a song or guided visualization
The offering of self-kindness doesn’t have to solve the problem. It is about showing up to yourself with gentle care. Then you can return to the issue that you are experiencing and consider if there is an unmet need, unstated expectation, or boundary violation that is contributing to your experience of suffering. If so, you can take steps to meet the need more consistently, clarify expectations, or create boundaries. This is how the tender and fierce aspects of self-compassion come together to create sustainable change over time.
We’re here in the New Year and beyond to support you with any changes you choose for well-being – with gentleness and kindness.
#self-compassion #NewYear2026 #Guelph #NavigateMHS