If you’re ending the year thinking, “This is the year things need to change, I cannot keep living like this,” you’re in good company (*waves*). So many people with OCD and anxiety reach December feeling disappointed, frustrated, or behind, and they want to start the New Year perfectly. But here’s the truth most people don’t realize: waiting to “feel ready” is one of the biggest ways OCD keeps calling the shots.

Before we go deeper, let’s name the elephant in the room. OCD loves to take over at the end of the year because it knows you’re thinking about your progress. It knows you’re reflecting. It knows you’re planning. Those moments are filled with uncertainty, and OCD feeds on uncertainty. That’s its favorite meal, baby. So if your anxiety is louder than usual, there is nothing wrong with you. You’re reacting to a predictable trigger.

And this year, we’re not going to let OCD write the narrative for 2026.

Why OCD Wants You to Make the New Year “Perfect”

OCD is obsessed with precision. So a new year sounds like the perfect control project.

The brain goes:

• “This year has to be different.”
• “I need to fix everything now.”
• “I need to show up perfectly starting January 1st.”

But that’s the trap. The perfectionistic urge to start perfectly, and maintain perfectly, sets you up to either:

1. spiral when things don’t go as planned, or
2. procrastinate out of fear of failing.

OCD doesn’t care if you improve. OCD only cares that you stay in the cycle.

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The Lie That Keeps People Stuck Every New Year

When someone with OCD or anxiety thinks about changing their life, their brain subtly sells them this lie:

“You can take action later… once you feel more certain.”

But certainty never comes first.

Courage comes first.

Confidence, trust, and faith all come later, if you stop chasing them.

The people who make progress in the new year are not the ones who feel ready. They’re the ones who act without feeling ready.

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What People Think They Need to Recover (But Don’t)

OCD convinces people that recovery requires:

• the perfect mindset
• the perfect coping skill routine
• endless journaling and analyzing
• full confidence before taking action
• a perfect mental state to begin

None of that is required.

The people who break the cycle don’t wait for the fear to go away. They learn how to act while the fear is still there.

If you want a refresher on what that looks like, the free video 5 Strategies for OCD & Anxiety Recovery is a great place to start.

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So how do you make 2026 the year OCD stops running the show?

Here’s what actually changes the game, and it’s simpler than you think.

1. Expect discomfort.

Forward movement always brings fear with it. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It means your brain is learning.

2. Replace rumination with moving forward without answering the question.

Stop debating with your brain. You are not a lawyer in the courtroom of your own thoughts.

3. Take action first, confidence will follow.

Confidence is a receipt for choices, not a prerequisite for them.

4. Track courage, not calm.

The goal is not “I didn’t feel anxious today.” The goal is “I didn’t let anxiety decide for me today.”

5. Use reminders that reinforce who you’re becoming.

Not reassurance. Identity reinforcement.

This is where physical prompts shine, because the moment your brain starts spiraling, seeing something like “Maybe, maybe not – I’m moving forward anyway” interrupts the mental loop on sight. If you want visual tools that don’t accidentally become compulsive comfort objects, everything inside the Break Free Shop is designed for that exact purpose.

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What 2026 Could Look Like If OCD Isn’t Calling The Shots

Let’s just imagine for a second. You speak up even if your voice shakes. You make memories instead of monitoring your emotions.

You stop performing and start participating. You take action even when doubt is screaming. You stop chasing certainty and start building resilience. You stop losing days to rumination and start living them.

That’s not a fantasy.

That’s what happens when you learn to break the OCD/anxiety cycle, not soothe it.

And if this year has shown you exactly where you’re stuck… that’s not failure.

That’s information. Which means you are already on step one.

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If you’re ready to actually change the system, not just survive it..

You don’t need more coping skills. You don’t need more discipline. You don’t need a “perfect start” on January 1st.

You need a framework that teaches your brain how to break the OCD cycle long-term, and support from someone who has walked it professionally and personally.

That’s exactly why I created The OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint – my signature course and community, plus weekly access to me.

The Blueprint is where:

• the science makes sense
• the steps become doable
• the cycle finally starts to loosen
• the fear stops being the boss

It’s the roadmap, the community, the support, and the weekly momentum that people say they wish they had years sooner.

If you are the person who wants to work hard, who wants to live differently, and who is beyond tired of feeling stuck… this is for you.

You don’t need to start 2026 perfectly.

You just need to not start it alone.

Let this be the year OCD stops calling the shots, and you start calling your life back.

xo, Jenna