December invites us to slow down. To reflect, rest, and ready ourselves for what’s next. In a culture that prizes productivity, this season offers a quieter kind of wisdom: that rest is also growth, and endings are fertile ground for new beginnings.

Carl Rogers taught that people flourish when they feel deeply seen, accepted, and supported, not judged or fixed. When we extend that same acceptance to ourselves, we create the conditions for real transformation.

Step One: Reflect Without Judgment

Take a moment to look back over the year. What moments stand out, not just the highlights, but the ones that changed you? Maybe you set a boundary, sought help, or simply kept going on a hard day. Each act of perseverance is worthy of recognition.

Step Two: Release with Compassion

Letting go isn’t forgetting; it’s allowing what’s complete to rest. Maybe that means letting go of unrealistic expectations, outdated goals, or a version of yourself you’ve outgrown. In therapy, Rogers often encouraged clients to “allow experience” rather than resist it. Acceptance opens the door to growth.

Try this practice:

• Write down three things you’re ready to release.
• Thank them for what they taught you.
• Gently tear or fold the paper, symbolizing release.

Step Three: Renew with Intention

Instead of rigid resolutions, choose one guiding value for the new year, something that feels like an anchor, not a demand. Words like presence, courage, honesty, creativity, rest, or connection can guide decisions and focus energy.

Ask yourself:

• “What do I want to feel more of next year?”
• “What boundary protects that feeling?”
• “What small daily act supports it?”

A Personal Reflection

Recently, while reviewing my journal from earlier this year, I noticed how many times I wrote the word patience. I realized it wasn’t about waiting for something to change; it was about softening into the process of becoming. Some lessons take their time.

The Beauty of Beginning Again

Every December reminds us that endings aren’t failures, they’re invitations. The calendar resets, the light slowly returns, and so can we. Growth happens not when we force it, but when we create the conditions ~ gentleness, curiosity, compassion ~ for it to unfold.

“People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be,” Rogers once said. “When I look at a sunset, I don’t find myself saying, ‘Soften the orange a bit on the right-hand corner.’ I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.”

May you watch yourself with that same awe this month.