Stop in the Name of Love: therapy for feeling lost in January

A different way to approach the new year

January arrives with a lot of noise. New year, new you, set goals and be better. What if you're not ready for that? What if you're exhausted, broke, still processing December and the idea of "starting fresh" feels impossible?

A tool for reflection, not resolution

I've come across something I find useful: the Year Compass. It's a free reflective workbook that helps you look back at the year that's passed and think about the year ahead, but it's not about setting goals or measuring yourself.

It asks questions like: What were your biggest challenges? Who influenced you? What do you want to let go of?

You can download it here: yearcompass.com

For some people, taking time to reflect, without the pressure of improving can be grounding.

What happens when reflection gets difficult

Sometimes when you sit down to reflect, you realise how hard things have been, how exhausted you are and perhaps how much you've been carrying quietly. Sometimes you realise you're lost. Not just tired, actually lost. You don't know who you are anymore, or where you're going.

Rebecca Solnit writes about being lost not as disorientation, but as a loosening of certainty. She suggests that maps can prevent real encounter, they prioritise control over discovery. Sometimes losing your way creates the conditions for transformation.

That's where therapy can help. Not by giving you a map or telling you where to go, but by being with you while you're lost. By making that lostness safe enough to stay in, rather than rushing to fix it.

I don't do tick boxes. I offer something different: a space where it's okay to say this is hard. Where we sit with that pain together, make room for it and don't rush you to feel better, without reinforcing shame or the pressure to perform.

This isn't about measuring your progress or hitting milestones. It's about being with what's difficult.

If this resonates

If you've done the Year Compass (or any reflection) and realised you're carrying more than you thought, or if you're just tired of trying to fix yourself, I'm here.

Not to give you a plan. Just to sit with you in what's hard, for as long as it takes.

I hope you'll feel met wherever you are.

You can reach out when you're ready: Contact me here