7 Things I’m Letting Go of in 2025

As we’ve entered 2025, everyone tends to focus on what they want to do more of to level up—working out more, drinking more water, spending more time with friends and families, reading more…. While I totally get it, I think it’s equally important to look at your life and see what practices, habits, patterns, and ideas you need to let go of in order to become the best version of yourself. Being able to recognize things that add unnecessary stress to your life, pressure you into trying to being “perfect,” and keep you from being the best version of yourself is just as important when it comes to setting yourself up for the year.

I love thinking through the question, “What do I need to let go of in order to become my best self ?”

Here’s what I’m letting go of this year:

Pressures of Pinterest parenting

I’m letting go of Pinterest parenting in 2025. Whether it’s the pressure to make perfectly-curated gift baskets for every special event (a 4th of July basket is just TOO much!!!) or feeling like you need to pack your kid’s snackle boxes in color coded precision (#iykyk), we can agree that it can all be a bit much. Even though I love getting inspiration and finding small ways to make things beautiful, I’m embracing the fact that it’s OK to not put in maximum effort all of the dang time. I’ve found that more times than not, trying to make so many aspects of our lives aesthetically pleasing just wipes me out and invariably stresses everyone else out, even though it’s supposed to be enjoyable. Know what you can handle, what is worth your extra time and energy, and double down on the things that spark joy.

Not using family heirloom items

Why wait until I’m on my deathbed to pass down to Callie (and potentially my grandkids) the items I want her to have? Why would I even wait until then to use those things??? For example, I have several pieces of jewelry that my mom gave me that were from my grandmother and great grandparents. I wear them regularly and cherish them–I would never let them sit in my jewelry box collecting dust. I also have started pulling out the vintage scarf James’s Granny gave me along with some of her beautiful vintage smoking jackets. I firmly believe that tucking away those “heirloom” items–holding onto them for years and years on end–can make us feel more overwhelmed than it would if we actually used them. I’m taking the approach to use what we love now and pass these heirlooms on early to Callie; it will allow us to clear up some of our physical space but more importantly I can be a witness to her joy of using them while I’m still alive and kicking.

Neglecting myself

If Mama isn’t functioning at 100%, then everything is going to fall apart. If my cup isn’t full, how in the world can I pour into anyone else? I’ll be the first to say that my default response is to put my own wants and needs on the back burner when things get busy. But I think I’ve also gotten really good at recognizing the signs when I’m really not doing enough to take care of myself and when I do need to hit the pause button . Yes, even in the midst of taking care 504 meetings, physical therapy sessions, archery competitions, working, cleaning, and everything else that fills up our the pages of my daily planner, there is absolutely still time for “me time”—I just have to give it the same priority as all of the other things that we have going on in our life. Accepting the fact that there aren’t enough hours in the day to take care of myself is out in 2025. Remember–you have worth and deserve the same time, love and care that you give to others.

Saying “yes” to everything

I started this trend in 2024 and I am happy to say that I’m going even harder with it in 2025. I have become fiercely protective of our time and energy. Being agreeable is nice in theory, but saying yes to every single event that we’re asked to do is simply not a sustainable way of living for our little family. We’ve been guilty of doing it, but it always ends up backfiring in the end. Because what happens is, deep down I know that committing to another obligation is going to stress me out and overload my already hefty to-do list. I have to respectfully decline it otherwise I end up being resentful, exhausted, and pissed off I didn’t get to the things that actually matter to my family. Let this be your 2025 reminder that flexing your right to say “no” does not mean you are selfish or not trying hard enough. If anything, it means that you are a pro at setting healthy boundaries and knowing your limits, which is something we should all learn to prioritize a little more in our lives. Unless it’s a “hell yes” from us, it’s a “no” in 2025.

Doing anything “for the ‘gram”

I think this falls into the same category as Pinterest parenting. Not every activity or moment spent with your family and loved ones needs to be picture-perfect (or honestly even documented). While I think it’s important to capture those special memories, I also want to be present in them too. I don’t want to be worrying about setting up a scene to get all of the perfect angles because I know that can take me away from really experiencing a joyful moment to the fullest. My goal for 2025 is to be as present as possible and immerse myself in both the big moments and small ones, snap some pics here and there, and not worry about how glam the experience looks compared to everyone else on my feed. That’s a recipe for more fun anyway!

Trying to control everything

The control freak in me just freaked out a bit typing that out. But honestly, I just finished Mel Robbin’s book, The Let Them Theory, and have radically changed my stance on thinking I have control over anyone in my life. Ideally, in a perfect world, we would be able to control every little thing in our lives. It would be amazing, I just know it. Just kidding, kind of. It’s totally normal to want to do so, especially when it comes to wanting the best outcome for your family and loved ones. But trying to do so, it actually just drains us of our energy and takes our attention away from the things we can control. I truly understand how important it is to just let go and let be. It’s far more draining to nitpick over every little thing than to go with the flow. I swear read the book–“Let Them” and “Let Me” are 4 freaking powerful words. Everyone in my house (even Jack!) is much happier when I adopt a more relaxed mindset, so doubling down on it in 2025.

The idea of “doing it all”

The world has become very comfortable with the narrative that moms can do it all. While I feel like I definitely can balance a lot at once, being able to “do it all” is a unreachable goal that over the years has done me more harm than good. I’m only human, right? I don’t think it’s a sign of weakness or bad time management to recognize that there are some things we simply don’t have time for (or want to do!) . In 2025, let’s celebrate ourselves for all of the things that we already do, and let go of that feeling that there’s always more to be done. Know your family’s unique priorities and values and focus on being present where your feet are—the rest can wait for now.