With only a full month left in the year, one could certainly say that we are knee deep in quarter four of 2025. When thinking about ending the year, a lot can come to mind. Maybe you are thinking about preparing for winter holidays or maybe you are thinking about how to finish strong with resolutions that you brought into this year. No matter what is on your mind, the hustle and bustle of this season can be a lot to navigate. To make the most of a busy season, here are wellness inspired quarter four considerations:

Actively Resist Comparison
As the year begins to end, social media platforms highlight flashbacks from the year, music streaming services provide yearly listening trends, and news outlets feature year in review stories. The media often prompts us to reflect back on our year, and while media creates an avenue for connection it also creates an opportunity for comparison to occur. So, one thing to consider while reflecting over the year is to actively resist comparing yourself to others by making space for practicing self-compassion. Self-compassion allows you to accept emotional experiences as they arise from a more kind and less critical point of view. Prioritizing self-compassion over comparison can be helpful to avoid being overly critical of yourself and your experiences from the year.

Welcome Flexible not Fixed Traditions
This time of year is often associated with traditions. While traditions can be heartwarming to honor, different experiences such as grief or loss, financial insecurity, and health concerns can challenge our ability to honor traditions. It can be difficult to do things the same as we have always done them when we as people are ever evolving. If honoring traditions in a structured way does not seem feasible this year, it could be worth considering the idea of applying psychological flexibility to fixed traditions. Psychological flexibility involves honoring your values with your actions in an adaptable manner. When considering traditions, maybe this means finding a way to honor the emotions behind a practice that you typically prioritize or maybe it means finding something new that resonates with where you are today. Giving yourself the opportunity to be flexible with what you prioritize can be a freeing and rewarding experience itself.

Prioritize Rest When Possible
The end of the year can certainly be a time full of excitement. However, without the right prioritization, times of excitement can quickly turn into times of exhaustion. While thinking about how to maximize the end of the year, it is relevant to consider prioritizing rest. When we think of resting, sleep may come to mind and while sleep is associated with physical rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith encourages individuals to broaden their definition of rest to include seven different kinds of rest! The seven different types of rest include physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual rest. With many activities pulling from energy associated with different categories, checking in with your rest reserves can be a guide to navigating the end of the year in a way that allows you to recharge and also engage with pivotal commitments.

In summary, consider quarter four of 2025 as an opportunity to practice self-compassion, psychological flexibility, and embrace rest. While 2025 is coming to an end, know that efforts to prioritize wellness this year do not have to come to an end and maybe the end of this year can serve as a new beginning for certain aspects of your wellness journey.