Releasing 2025: A Somatic Approach to Letting Go and Regathering Our Energy

As the year ends, many of us experience a familiar blend of relief, reflection, and tiredness, even when the year held plenty of good moments. The body may still be holding onto the work of getting through it all. Stress, change, and adaptation add up. Somatic practices offer a simple, gentle way to notice what’s been carried and let it soften, creating a sense of ease as we move forward.

The idea isn’t to erase the past or push experiences away. It’s about releasing and inviting the nervous system to recognize that something is complete.

Why the Body Needs Closure

Throughout the year, our attention and energy are continually directed outward:

• Meeting deadlines

• Navigating transitions

• Supporting others

• Managing uncertainty

• Adapting to ongoing demands

Each of these moments takes effort, not just mentally, but physically and emotionally as well. Our muscles respond, our nervous system stays alert, and our energy is engaged. When experiences aren’t consciously acknowledged, the body can stay subtly “on,” holding tension or a sense of vigilance even after the situation has passed.

Why Some Things Still Take Up Space in Our Minds

In some traditions, people speak about “collecting the energy left behind.” While this language can sound abstract, from a somatic lens it has a very grounded meaning.

Energy left behind refers to:

• Attention still tied to unfinished experiences

• Emotional charge around events that required a lot from us

• Habitual tension patterns that formed during stress

• Mental loops that never received closure

Guided reflection can offer a helpful structure for releasing the year, whether people move through it month by month or as a whole. At the same time, this is something individuals can do for themselves, in their own way and time. The guidance may help the nervous system recognize completion, allowing the body to settle and attention to return to the present.

Why This Matters

When stress and intensity go unacknowledged, they don’t simply disappear. The body often carries them forward, showing up as tension, mental fatigue, reduced focus, or a sense of being “on.”

Many people move from one demanding season into the next without space to integrate what they’ve lived through. Over time, this can show up as:

• Feeling depleted or burned out

• Difficulty concentrating or staying present

• Reduced creativity or motivation

• Emotional fatigue or a sense of disconnection from the body

  
  

Somatic year-end release practices offer a gentle, practical way to interrupt this pattern.

You can do this by:

• Pausing to acknowledge what the year has asked of you

• Noticing what you are complete with

• Noticing what was not completed and you are ready to let go of

In a meditation that moves through the months of the year, you may clearly know what you’re releasing from a particular month, or you may not remember specific details at all. Either way, the act of releasing creates space.

This supports a transition into what’s next feeling more grounded, resourced, and present.

When Attention Returns, Energy Follows

Gently redirecting attention back into the body may support a sense of settling and internal organization. When the nervous system no longer needs to stay focused on unresolved demands, people often report feeling calmer, more grounded, and less mentally taxed. This allows the body to reclaim resources that were dispersed throughout the year.

A Gentle Pause Before the New Year

As the year comes to a close and a new one approaches, pausing for just a moment to acknowledge what’s been part of your journey and what no longer needs your energy can be surprisingly grounding. A bit of gentle movement, breath, or quiet noticing can help you feel more settled, present, and ready for what’s ahead.

May 2026 begin with space to settle, moments of presence, and the sense that you’re moving forward feeling grounded, supported, and ready for what unfolds!