AS 2025 comes to an end, overthinking feels like it's unavoidable. We rethink our decisions and remember the missed chances we never took. 

And right on cue, the pressure comes: New Year’s resolutions. Reflection quickly mutates into self-criticism. If we need resolutions, most people presume that we clearly did something wrong. We didn’t work hard enough. We didn’t improve fast enough. We didn’t become enough.

Social media floods our feeds with “year-end recaps” where highlights make it seem like everyone else figured life out while we are still trying to keep up. 

Then comes the question, “Ano na goal mo next year?” or “Ano babaguhin mo sa sarili mo?”

Motivation quietly turns into pressure.

New Year’s resolutions rarely come from a place of hope. They come from guilt. They’re built on lists of what we failed to do, who we failed to become, and how we fell short. The new year stops being a fresh start and instead turns into a warning that we have to improve.

But to realize that the problem isn’t December, and it isn’t resolutions either is important.

The real problem is that we treat growth like a deadline and a basis for self-worth. We act as if success expires on Dec. 31, and anything unfinished is evidence of incompetence.

We are used to seeing success by results we can see posted. If we can’t point to something big by the end of the year, we think we failed. We forget that growth isn’t always visible. 

Quiet progress doesn’t trend. Survival doesn’t get applause. Showing up when you’re exhausted isn’t celebrated on social media.

But it should.

They may seem small, but they shape who we are, and growth doesn’t have to hurt to be real.

Resolutions should not be about fixing ourselves to fit into impossible standards. They shouldn’t be proof that we were broken all along. At its best, they’re simply reminders that growth is on our own timeline.

The end of the year shouldn’t define us, but it can acknowledge our mistakes without letting them define our value. We can admit that some years don’t feel successful and still recognize that they were necessary for growth and learning.

Not every year feels successful, and that’s beyond okay. Some years teach us to be strong, others teach us patience, while a few  just teach us how to keep going through it all.

And if December makes us overthink everything, it’s not because we didn’t do enough. Maybe it’s because you’ve been conditioned to forget how much you already endured, and if New Year’s resolutions feel like a pressure, maybe it’s time to change how we view them, not as proof that we’re not enough, but as a guide for what comes next.

The year may be ending, but growth doesn’t stop. We don’t need to rush becoming better to prove we’re worthy now. Sometimes, making it through is already enough, and it’s an achievement.