5 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Head Into a New Year With Anxiety or OCD

As the year winds down, many people living with anxiety or OCD feel a familiar pressure: “I should have made more progress by now.” Or, “Next year has to be different.”

But growth with anxiety and OCD doesn’t follow a neat, linear path. It’s often slow, subtle, and easy to overlook—especially when your brain is wired to pay more attention to the negatives.

That’s why taking time to pause, reflect, and actually notice what shifted this year matters. Not from a place of perfection or comparison, but from curiosity. From honesty. From a desire to understand yourself a little more clearly as you head into a new year.

Below are five questions we love asking clients this time of year. Think of them as an opportunity to reflect and recognize your progress and set intentional direction for what’s next.

1. What did I handle this year that would have felt impossible a year ago?

People often underestimate themselves because they’re comparing where they want to be—not where they started.

Maybe you took a flight, even if your anxiety was through the roof as you boarded the plane.
Maybe you ate at a restaurant despite the emetophobia monster whispering all kinds of worst-case scenarios in your head.
Maybe you went to work, made a phone call, or attended a family event even with intrusive thoughts swirling.

These might not feel “big enough,” but they’re often the exact moments where real change begins: doing something your anxiety insisted you couldn’t.

Ask yourself:
“What did I do this year that younger-me simply wasn’t ready for?”

You might surprise yourself with the answer.

2. How did I handle setbacks differently this year?

Setbacks are not evidence that you’re failing. They’re evidence that you’re human.

And one of the strongest markers of progress is not whether you had setbacks—it’s how you responded to them.

Maybe you bounced back faster.
Maybe you didn’t spiral as long.
Maybe you didn’t shame yourself as harshly.
Maybe you reached out for support instead of hiding.
Maybe you resumed an exposure after taking a break instead of quitting entirely.

These shifts are subtle but powerful.
They show resilience.
They show learning.
They show growth.

Ask yourself:
“Did I respond differently this year, even in small ways?”

3. What actually supported me this year (and what didn’t)?

Anxiety and OCD recovery involves a lot of trial and error. Some strategies help. Others… not so much.

Instead of guessing again next year, look at what you already learned:

• What coping skills actually grounded you?
  
  

• Which routines lowered your baseline stress?
  
  

• What habits made things harder?
  
  

• Who in your life energized you—and who drained you?
  
  

• Did scrolling, Googling, or reassurance-seeking pull you deeper into anxiety?
  
  

• Did therapy, exercise, mindfulness, or exposure work support you more than you realized?
  
  

This isn’t about criticizing yourself. It’s about gathering data so you can move into the new year with feeling proud of where you’ve come and getting clarity on what you want to work on the upcoming year.

Ask yourself:
“What helped me feel more like myself—and what made things made me feel worse?”

4. What do I want my relationship with anxiety or OCD to look like next year?

Notice the wording here. It’s not “How do I get rid of anxiety?” or “How do I stop having intrusive thoughts?”
Those aren’t goals—they’re unrealistic demands that set you up for frustration.

A better question is:

“How do I want to relate to anxiety when it shows up?”

Maybe next year you want to:

• allow anxiety to be present without immediately responding
  
  

• delay or reduce compulsions instead of doing them automatically
  
  

• move toward things that matter even when the noise in your head is loud
  
  

• practice accepting uncertainty a little more often
  
  

• build the muscle of willingness, not perfection
  
  

Think about what you want your internal world to feel like—not just what you want to eliminate.

5. What’s one small, doable step I want to take in the new year?

Not five steps. Not a full plan. Just one step.

Growth happens by stacking small actions, not by trying to overhaul everything at once.

Your next step might be:

• scheduling a therapy consult
  
  

• joining a group
  
  

• practicing one exposure a week
  
  

• setting a limit on reassurance-seeking
  
  

• building a simple mindfulness routine
  
  

• reducing avoidance in one specific area
  
  

• tracking your wins so you can actually see them
  
  

Choose a step that feels meaningful—but realistic. A step that nudges you forward without overwhelming you. A step your future self would look back on and say, “That made a difference.”

Looking Back, Then Looking Ahead

Reflection doesn’t erase the challenges of the year, and it doesn’t magically make anxiety disappear. But it can help you reclaim the narrative. It can help you see the small, steady ways you’re growing—even in moments that didn’t feel like growth at all.

Your progress counts.
Your effort counts.
Your resilience counts.

And the new year isn’t a pressure point.
It’s simply an invitation to move one step closer to the life you want—at your own pace.

If You’re Ready for Support in the New Year

If you’re ready to make 2026 a year of more peace, courage, and clarity, we’re here to help. Our therapists specialize in anxiety and OCD and offer:

• cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  
  

• exposure and response prevention (ERP)
  
  

• acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
  
  

• support for emetophobia, intrusive thoughts, fear of flying, and general anxiety (just to name a few)
  
  

You can get started with a free 15-minute phone consultation and explore whether therapy is the next step for you.

You don’t have to navigate 2026 overwhelmed or feeling alone. We’d love to support you as you take your next small, meaningful step.