Ep 6: NYE Special: The Quiet Between Years: Reflecting, Resetting & Reimagining

“The new year doesn’t need to fix you — you were already doing your best.”

In this reflective New Year’s themed episode of AuDHD Psych, Aaron and Uma explore the quiet space between years — a time often filled with pressure to reset, improve, and reinvent. Through a neurodivergent lens, they unpack why traditional New Year’s resolutions can feel overwhelming or harmful for autistic and ADHD people, and why slow, values-aligned change is often more sustainable. The conversation reframes growth as internal, incremental, and deeply personal, highlighting quiet wins, self-compassion, and progress that doesn’t need to be visible or performative. Rather than chasing arbitrary milestones, this episode invites listeners to honour what worked, question unhelpful beliefs, and move into the new year with curiosity instead of self-criticism.

Takeaways

• The New Year can amplify unrealistic expectations, self-judgment, and pressure to change overnight
• Traditional resolutions often clash with neurodivergent brains that value sustainability, flexibility, and meaning
• Small, quiet changes can have a bigger impact than dramatic overhauls
• Reflecting on what worked is just as important as identifying what didn’t
• Themes and values can be more supportive than rigid goals or timelines
• Progress is not linear, and planning for disruption reduces shame and burnout
• Self-compassion and relationship with self underpin all other goals
   Growth can be internal, subtle, and still deeply valid

Keywords
 AuDHD, neurodivergence, New Year mental health, autistic and ADHD goals, self-compassion, internal growth, quiet progress, neurodivergent goal setting, burnout prevention, reflective practice, New Year pressure, sustainable change