Before We Rush Forward
- Alice Ranker
- Dec 27, 2025
- 2 min read
The lights on the tree are still glowing. There are only a few gifts left underneath to deliver. Leftovers fill the shelves in the fridge and tins half full of cookies are stacked on the counter. And the house is a little quieter and my schedule doesn’t feel quite as busy.
It’s okay if you feel tired, tender, or a little empty after the holiday celebration. That feeling isn’t something that needs to be fixed, it’s a transition worth honoring.
There’s a lot of emotional and physical labor that go into holiday preparations. Once the adrenaline wears off and the trash is taken out it’s not uncommon to feel a twinge of disappointment, or a twinge of letdown.
It doesn’t mean anything is wrong, or that you did anything wrong. It’s our body’s way of recalibrating.
Hustle culture wants you to clean it up and move on to the next thing. But I’d invite you to pause and reflect on what the next right thing is. Maybe instead of the time between Christmas and New Years being a starting line, we could look at it like a landing space.
Recognize what you're feeling. Reflect on what you need moving forward. Spend some time thinking about what worked best for you (and your family) over the holidays and what adjustments would make things better.
Continuing a grounding practice can help you stay centered as one year ends and another begins. This may look like:
Leave the tree up a little longer
Take a walk without a destination
Journal without prompts
Clear one small space
Sleep
Say “not yet” to planning
Before we rush forward, we’re allowed to pause. Rest in not falling behind, it how we begin well.
January 2026 is around the corner. What might change if we began the year with curiosity instead of control, intention instead of resolutions, and listening before deciding?
You don’t have to know what’s next, not yet. There will be time for vision and planning — but first, rest. Sit with what’s true. Trust what’s emerging.
Before we rush forward, we’re allowed to land.
Optional journal prompt:
“What do I need in this next season — before I decide what I want?”
With permission to rest,
Ps. This quiet stretch after Christmas is one of my favorite times to reflect, not to plan or fix or decide, but simply to notice. It’s one of the reasons I created Bloom with Possibility the way I did. Not as a tool to rush us into what’s next, but as a place to land first. A space to recognize what this season stirred, restore what feels depleted, and trust that clarity will come in its own time. Before we rise, we’re allowed to rest. Before we choose what’s next, we’re allowed to listen. This pause isn’t wasted time, it’s preparation. If this resonates with you, I've shared a few resources below for when you are ready to explore further.
(If you purchase the Life Designer, use coupon code BLOOM to save 25%)
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