6 Things to Stop Doing in 2026 to Improve Your Wellbeing

Shanelle Koroma
Jan 20
4 min read

Updated: Jan 21

Often, healing begins with what we are willing to stop. It begins by noticing the ways we’ve been surviving and choosing something gentler. Many of the habits below once helped you cope. They made sense at the time. But what protected you in one season may be exhausting you in this one.

As we move into 2026, consider releasing patterns that quietly drain your energy, fragment your focus, and delay your healing. These six shifts are not about perfection, they are about honesty, sustainability, and choosing yourself with intention.

1. Stop Being the Martyr

This often shows up as:

Always being the “strong one”
Saying yes when your body is saying no
Being the person everyone calls in a crisis
Putting your own grief, exhaustion, or needs on hold
You may tell yourself, “I’ll rest later,” or “Other people have it worse.

You do not have to constantly help others to be worthy, valuable, or “good enough.”

If you are wounded, exhausted, or depleted, continuing to serve others at the expense of yourself is not noble, it is self-abandonment. No one is secretly assessing your holiness, strength, or usefulness. Most people are focused on their own lives.

If you feel burned out, unappreciated, or unseen after giving, that is a sign of martyrdom, not love.

Turn toward healing instead.

Care for yourself.

Nurture the close relationships within your immediate orbit.

When you are well, your giving becomes sustainable. When you are not, it becomes a slow erosion of your wellbeing.

2. Stop Relying on Quick Fixes

Quick fixes look like:

Having the same argument and calling it “communication”
Changing jobs but carrying the same stress
Listening to motivational messages without changing patterns
Avoiding the deeper question because it feels uncomfortable

They offer temporary relief, not transformation. If the same problems keep resurfacing, the issue is not effort, it’s depth. Quick fixes offer temporary relief but rarely address root causes. Without reflection and analysis, we repeat unhealthy patterns while expecting different results. Healing often requires stopping long enough to ask: What am I avoiding? What am I afraid to name?

Pause.

Self-reflect.

Seek wisdom, not just solutions.

If a relationship is stuck, repeating the same conversation won’t suddenly work. Sometimes the next step is learning, reading, getting wise counsel, or trying an approach you haven’t used before. Depth takes time, but it brings freedom.

3. Stop Looking for a Hero

This can sound like:

“If I just meet the right person, everything will change”
“Once they understand me, I’ll finally feel okay”
“My therapist should will me exactly what to do”

Support is important, but being rescued is often fairy tale or movie like. Even in the healthiest relationships, no one can do your inner work for you. People can walk with you, but they cannot walk for you.

A good counsel doesn’t save you, they help you see yourself more clearly and challenge you to choose differently. You are not broken for wanting help. And you are not powerless either. Strength grows through choices you make, again and again. Healing is supported by insight but activated by your Spirit.

Trust that your path can be straightened. Take wisdom, take guidance, but claim your agency.

4. Stop Skipping the Things You Enjoy

Sunset view at Ujima Retreat Center, Urbana, IL

This often looks like:

Canceling the walk, the art, the music, the quiet time
Waiting until life “slows down” to enjoy yourself
Feeling guilty for doing something just because you like it

Joy is not a luxury. It is fuel. Many people believe rest and joy require extra energy but the opposite is true. Enjoyment creates energy. Your body responds to pleasure with “This feels good. Let’s keep going.”

The challenge is starting, because energy doesn’t magically appear. You have to initiate movement. For some, it’s time in nature. For others, dancing, journaling, cooking, prayer, music, or play.

You already know what nourishes you. Make those things non-negotiable. They are not rewards for productivity, they are foundations for wellbeing.

5. Stop Worrying Endlessly

Mindfulness sign at Ujima Retreat Center's forest trail.

If you grew up in chaos, instability, or constant pressure, your nervous system learned to stay alert. Worry became a form of protection.

It might sound like:

Replaying conversations
Planning for worst-case scenarios
Feeling unable to relax even when things are calm

This isn’t a character flaw, it’s a conditioned response. This pattern does not resolve on its own. It grows. You must interrupt it intentionally.

Tell your body: I am safe now.

Anchor yourself in the present moment.

If you are washing dishes, wash dishes.

Daily mindfulness retrains the brain. Over time, your nervous system learns that it does not need to be on constant alert. Mindfulness doesn’t erase problems but it teaches your brain that it doesn’t need to stay in survival mode forever. Your mind will thank you and finally make room to hear real solutions.

6. Stop Isolating Yourself

Kayaking group at Ujima Retreat Center, Urbana, IL

Isolation can look like:

Only interacting with people at home
Watching others live life through a screen
Telling yourself you’re “fine on your own”
Feeling disconnected even when surrounded by people

Loneliness is not just emotional, it is physiological. Humans need more than independence, we need connection.

Shared laughter, shared silence, shared experiences help regulate our nervous systems. They remind us we are not alone and that the world does not orbit around us.

This doesn’t mean forcing closeness. It means finding small, real ways to be part of collective humanity such as friends, coworkers, community spaces, new connections.

Healing happens in relationship, not just reflection.

Collective presence offers perspective, regulation, and healing that isolation cannot.

We are not meant to be alone.

A Closing Reflection

These are not just things to stop doing, they are invitations to live differently.

To begin, you must believe two things:

You are deserving of wellbeing
Healing is possible for you

Life can improve by releasing what no longer serves you. In 2026, may you choose rest over martyrdom, depth over shortcuts, agency over rescue, joy over depletion, presence over worry, and connection over isolation.