Soft Landings: Ending the year without burnout
If you are a therapist, coach, acupuncturist or any kind of healer you are most likely feeling it: the slow creep of the end-of-the-year everything:
Last sessions before client breaks
Extra documentation and renewals
School breaks and holiday schedules
The push to reset and reflect while you are just trying to drink your coffee when it’s hot ☕️
No wonder you want to curl up in a cozy blanket and hibernate.
At TheraSistersStL we see you. This time between November - December can feel like one big exhale that you don’t quite get to complete. So we are here to tell you about “soft-landings”, tiny doable ways to ease out the year while keeping your glimmer ✨ from burning out.
What is a Soft-Landing Season?
A soft-landing season is the opposite to a sprint to the finish line.
Instead of:
forcing yourself to finish everything at 110%
expecting to have the same energy and focus you have in September
adding 7 more projects before the end of the year
… a soft-landing says:
“I can close this year gently with honesty about my limits, and still honor my clients, my community and myself”.
Soft-landings are not about laziness or giving up. Soft-landings are about protecting your energy so that you can continue to do the work that you love without resenting it - or collapsing.
Here are a few steps you can take this end-of-the-year season to create a soft-landing.
Step 1: Name What You’re Actually Carrying
Healers are professionals at holding everyone else’s stories. That also means we’re very practiced at quietly minimizing our own load.
Before you plan anything fancy, try this:
Mini Practice: The 3-Bag Check-In
Grab a piece of paper and make three columns:
Bag 1: Work (clients, notes, admin, teams, supervision, content)
Bag 2: Home (family, caregiving, holidays, house tasks, finances)
Bag 3: Me (your own health, therapy, rest, hobbies, joy)
Under each column, jot down what you’re carrying right now. Not what you should be carrying—what is actually in your bags.
Then ask yourself:
Which bag is the heaviest right now?
Which bag have I been pretending is “fine” while it’s actually overflowing?
Is there one thing I can gently set down, delay, or delegate this month?
This is not about doing everything. It’s about being honest with your capacity so you can right-size your expectations.
Step 2: Choose a “Good Enough” Version of the Season
Healers often feel pressure to do the end-of-year thing “right”:
Deep life reflections
Big business planning
Perfectly meaningful holidays
All the gratitude, all the time
If that sounds overwhelming, here’s your permission slip.
This year it is completely valid to have a “good enough” version of the season
Some ideas:
Good enough notes: Clean and accurate, not beautifully color-coded.
Good enough holiday décor: One candle and a cozy mug counts.
Good enough reflection: A few journal prompts, not a 20-page workbook.
Good enough business plan: One page of intentions, not a full rebrand.
You are allowed to choose simple this season. Simple can still be sacred
Step 3: Build a Tiny Transition Ritual Between Sessions and Home
This time of year, our worlds blur: telehealth sessions in the spare bedroom, emails on the couch, charting on a laptop while half-watching a movie with the kids.
A small transition ritual can help your nervous system understand:
“Work is over. Now I’m home”
Try one of these, no more than 3.
Doorway pause
Before you leave your office or shut your laptop, place a hand on your heart and one on your belly. Take three slow breaths and say, “I am allowed to set my work down for now.”
Wash it off
When your workday ends, wash your hands or face with warm water and imagine rinsing off the stories you’ve held today. The stories are safe; they just don’t live in your body all night.
Light Shift
Change the lighting when you’re done working—lamp instead of overhead light, twinkle lights, or even a candle. Let the room visually say, “We’re in rest mode now.”
Step 4: Let Community Be Part of Your Cushion
Soft landings are easier when you’re not landing alone.
It’s powerful to be in spaces where you can say:
“I am so tired.”
“I’m proud of this small thing.”
“I feel guilty for needing rest.”
“I don’t want to do a big New Year anything this year.”
… and everyone in the room nods because they get it.
This is one of the reasons why we created TheraSistersStL and our Giggles & Glimmers offerings, spaces where healers can:
Be fully human, not just “the professional helper”
Swap ideas and resources
Giggle about the absurd parts of our work
Share glimmers when the world feels heavy
Whether it’s with us, your consultation group, or a couple of trusted colleagues, consider this your invitation to let community be part of your cushion as you land this year.
You do not have to hold it alone.
A Gentle Closing for the Season
If no one has said this to you:
You are allowed to end your year softly
You are allowed to be proud of the unseen and quiet work you have done
You are allowed to need rest, joy, and silly little glimmers
Thank you for showing up the way that you do for others.
We are here to help your light glimmering and not burning out.
