Before you step into 2026, give yourself a pause….
Because your next chapter depends on how honest you’re willing to be about this one.
If you’re a woman over 35 navigating perimenopause, menopause, or just feeling like your body is working against you instead of with you, this reflection isn’t just about looking back. It’s about protecting your energy, supporting your hormones, and finally getting off the cortisol-adrenaline roller coaster that’s been running your life.
And honestly? These are the kinds of questions we should be asking the people we love more often. Your friends, your partner, your family… everyone grows when someone is brave enough to go first. You’ll be surprised how much clarity, honesty, and closeness honest reflection can create.
Why Reflection Matters for Your Hormones (Yes, Really)
Here’s what most people don’t realize: your nervous system doesn’t know the difference between physical danger and emotional chaos. When you’re constantly saying yes when your body is screaming no, ignoring red flags, or staying overextended to avoid facing what needs to change, your nervous system stays stuck in fight-or-flight mode.
That means elevated cortisol.
Disrupted sleep.
Weight that won’t budge.
Brain fog that makes you feel like you’re losing yourself.
Hormonal symptoms that seem to come out of nowhere.
Breaking hustle culture isn’t just a trendy phrase. It’s a biological necessity for women navigating hormonal transitions.
Your body is literally asking you to slow down, reflect, and make different choices.
Research shows that chronic sympathetic nervous system activation, that “wired-and-tired feeling” you know too well, contributes directly to anxiety, burnout, digestive issues, and hormonal imbalances. Regulating your nervous system supports everything from sleep quality to immune function to mental clarity.
So when we talk about reflection, we’re not talking about some fluffy journaling exercise. We’re talking about nervous system regulation for women. We’re talking about giving your body the signal that it’s safe to heal, to balance, to thrive.
The 8 Questions That Will Shift Everything
These aren’t your typical “what went well this year” questions. These dig deeper. They ask you to be honest about the patterns keeping you stuck, the fears making your decisions, and the boundaries you’ve been too afraid to set.
Sit with these questions. Answer them with full honesty, especially the ones that sting a little.
1. What three words capture the truth of your 2025, and what three words do you want to anchor your 2026?
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about naming what was true. Maybe 2025 was “overwhelming, reactive, exhausted.” Maybe you want 2026 to be “grounded, intentional, vital.” Whatever your words are, they matter. They’re your roadmap.
2. What fears showed up this year, and which ones are you ready to stop letting run your life?
Fear is a terrible life coach. It keeps you small, stuck, and saying yes to things that drain you. What would change if you stopped letting fear drive?
3. When did you feel most alive and aligned this year—and how can you create more of those moments in 2026?
This is about coming home to yourself. When did you feel most alive, most present, most like the woman you actually want to be? That’s not random. That’s data. Use it.
4. What consistently depleted your energy in 2025, and what boundaries do you need to establish because of it?
Energy vampires are real. Whether it’s people, commitments, or patterns, if it consistently drains you, it’s costing you your health. Your hormones need you to protect your energy like it’s sacred. Because it is.
5. What did you do this year that took real courage, and what did it teach you about your own strength?
You’re stronger than you think. What did you do this year that scared you? What did you learn about yourself in the doing? That courage? You get to take it with you into 2026.
6. What truth have you been avoiding because facing it would demand change?
This is the question that stings. But it’s also the one that sets you free. What have you been pretending not to know?
7. What old patterns are you leaving behind in 2025, and who are you choosing to become in 2026?
You don’t have to keep being the woman who does it all, says yes to everything, and runs on empty. Who do you want to be instead?
8. Who truly supported you this year, and who consistently left you feeling drained?
Community matters. Connection matters. Who actually showed up for you? And who consistently made you feel worse about yourself? You deserve people who help regulate your nervous system, not dysregulate it.
The Absolute F*ck No’s: What You’re Done Tolerating in 2026
These are your non-negotiables. The patterns, behaviors, and energy drains you’re finally saying no to. Not someday. Not when things calm down. Now.
Here are some examples to get you started:
Hustle culture bullshit – You’re done glorifying burnout and wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor.
Being an emotional dumpster – You’re not everyone’s therapist, and you don’t have to absorb other people’s chaos.
Explaining your boundaries to people committed to misunderstanding you – If they don’t want to get it, stop trying to make them.
Saying yes when your whole body is screaming “NO” – That gut feeling? That’s your nervous system trying to protect you. Listen to it.
Loving people in a way that requires you to abandon yourself – Real love doesn’t ask you to disappear.
Keeping commitments to everyone but your own healing – You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you’re done pretending you can.
Ignoring the red flags your body throws like a parade – Hot flashes, brain fog, anxiety, digestive issues—your body is talking. It’s time to listen.
Letting your nervous system run on fumes while you say “I’m fine” – You’re not fine. And that’s okay. But lying about it isn’t helping.
Staying overextended so you don’t have to face your own unmet needs – Busy is not the same as purposeful.
Mistaking constant motion for progress when you haven’t sat with yourself in months – Real growth happens in the pause.
Doing things you hate because you’re scared to disappoint people who don’t even like themselves – Stop shrinking to fit into spaces that weren’t made for you.
Calling your intuition “overthinking” because it’s telling you something you don’t want to deal with – Your gut knows. Trust it.
Waiting for permission that no one is ever going to give you – You don’t need anyone’s approval to choose yourself.
Dreaming of a different life while protecting the exact patterns that block it – You can’t have both the old comfort and the new life.
Believing survival mode is the only mode you can operate in – Your body was designed for more than just making it through.
Holding on to old stories that were never yours to carry – You get to put down what doesn’t belong to you.
Chasing external validation because your internal world feels shaky – The fix isn’t out there. It’s in here.
Expecting emotional regulation without addressing what you refuse to talk about – You can’t heal what you won’t acknowledge.
Holding yourself to standards nobody else in your life comes close to meeting – The bar is only that high for you. Why?
Using shame as motivation and wondering why you never feel good enough – Shame doesn’t build. It destroys. Your turn. What are YOUR absolute no’s for 2026?
Why This Matters for Your Hormones
Let me connect the dots for you, because this isn’t just mindset work, it’s physiology.
When you set boundaries, you’re telling your nervous system it’s safe. When your nervous system feels safe, cortisol drops. When cortisol drops, your other hormones have room to balance. This is especially critical during perimenopause and menopause when your hormone levels are already fluctuating.
Your body needs support, not more stress. Nervous system regulation for women isn’t about meditating your problems away. It’s about creating a life that doesn’t constantly trigger your stress response. It’s about boundaries that protect your energy. It’s about saying no to what drains you and yes to what restores you. The research is clear: women with strong social ties, clear boundaries, and a sense of purpose don’t just feel better, they live longer, have better hormone balance, stronger immune systems, and healthier brains.
This isn’t soft wellness. This is survival.
Your Next Step: Download Your Free Reflection & Boundaries Journal
I’ve created a free journal to help you work through these questions and set your boundaries for 2026. It includes:
All 8 reflection questions with space to process your answers
A section to identify your absolute no’s for 2026
Prompts to help you get clear on what you’re protecting and why
Room to dream about who you’re becoming This isn’t just another download you’ll save and forget about. This is the work that will change how you show up in 2026.
