Life By Design Therapy

  Every January, we see the same pattern in our therapy space: So many people hope to start the new year feeling energized and motivated… But instead, they find themselves tired, unfocused, or discouraged. And this response is far more common than most people realize. From a therapeutic perspective, there are clear reasons why the New Year push can feel so heavy: ✨ Your body is still recovering from the holidays. Your nervous system doesn’t move from overstimulation to clarity overnight. It needs time to settle and regulate. ✨ Big goals feel overwhelming when your energy is low. When your system is depleted, your capacity naturally shrinks. We know it can feel like a lack of discipline, but it’s not; it’s just biology. ✨ The pressure to “start fresh” can create discouragement. External expectations for productivity can clash with your internal need for rest, making motivation harder to access. ✨ Your body needs rest, nourishment, and routine. Sustainable momentum comes after you r...

  At Life By Design Therapy ™, we often remind our clients that healing starts with the way you speak to yourself. Because the words you use aren’t just words, your brain registers them as truth. Phrases like “I should be over this” or “I just need to get it together” might seem small, but your brain hears pressure, and your nervous system feels that as unsafe. Reframing your thoughts isn’t about toxic positivity. It’s about creating language that helps your body feel supported instead of criticized. When you shift from “I need to fix this” to “I’m learning to care for myself,” your body can finally relax enough to heal. Change begins in the way you speak to yourself, and we’re here to help you start. Follow for more body-based tools and gentle reframes — and save this for the days your self-talk feels heavy. 💛 https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/

  Every year, right after the holidays, we start to notice a familiar pattern in the clients who walk through our doors. They sit down and share the same kinds of feelings: “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” “I thought I’d feel motivated by now.” “I feel heavy… tired… disconnected.” And one of the first things we remind them is this: Nothing is wrong. What you’re feeling is often your body coming back online after a demanding season. For weeks, most people move through the holidays on adrenaline — juggling plans, navigating emotions, managing family dynamics, adapting to disrupted routines, and trying to hold everything together. When January arrives and life finally slows down, the body has space to feel the weight of all that effort. Sometimes what surfaces is grief. Sometimes it’s burnout. Sometimes it’s pressure to set goals or “start fresh” while the nervous system is still exhausted. And very often, daily rhythms and self-care habits have been completely thrown off, which m...

  Every year, it sneaks up on you. One moment you’re lighting a candle or hanging the first ornament, and the next, your mind is already spinning with the gifts to buy, people to please, and plans to finalize. You tell yourself you’ll slow down after all the boxes are checked on your list, but “after” never seems to come. You want to feel present, grateful, even, but underneath the to-do lists and family dynamics, something feels off. Maybe you’re holding grief that no one talks about. Maybe you’re stretched thin trying to make things “special.” Or maybe you just feel disconnected from the joy everyone else seems to be having. If that’s you, I want you to know it makes sense. The holidays have a way of amplifying what’s already inside us, the love and nostalgia, yes, but also the exhaustion, loneliness, or ache for things to be different. This year, instead of pushing through, what if you cared for yourself the way you care for everyone else? So keeping the busy you in mind, here a...

  Each year, we notice something in the clients we support around the holidays. They’re excited for connection, tradition, meaning, and at the same time, they’re carrying invisible emotional weight: overstimulation, family dynamics, grief that resurfaces, financial strain, pressure to make everything feel “special,” or simply the exhaustion of moving faster than their body can hold. And we remind them: the mix of emotions makes sense. The holidays often amplify what’s already inside us — joy and nostalgia, yes, but also overwhelm, longing, and the quiet hope that this year will feel different. Your nervous system is working hard right now. Travel, gatherings, disrupted sleep, sensory overload, and emotional highs and lows put the body into “go mode.” If you’ve felt tense, tired, irritable, or not quite yourself, it’s not a personal failure; it’s your system asking for gentleness. This is why caring for your mental health during the holidays matters. It’s about slowing down long eno...

  Happy Holidays from our team to you! ❄︎ We hope this season brings you moments of rest, connection, and the kind of calm that reminds your nervous system it’s safe to slow down. Thank you for being part of our community. https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/