What I Learned About Mental Health in 2025 – and How to Start 2026 Mentally Strong

Dear friends, colleagues and clients, 2025 was not a year of quick fixes for me. It was a year of noticing.Of acknowledging.And – to be honest – a year in which my own mental health kept catching up with me. I don’t want to write this article to tell a success story. I want to make something else visible: What learning, healing, and self-understanding actually look like. Not linear. Not tidy. But honest.

Anxiety, Panic – and the Misunderstanding of “Having to Function”

Anxiety and panic attacks have been part of my life for a long time – perhaps even more intensely as a neurodivergent person.In 2025, I realized something crucial: not every fear is a “problem” that needs fixing.Often, anxiety is simply a signal.

A signal that my nervous system is overwhelmed.That stimuli are too much. That I’ve been adapting for longer than is healthy for me.

Especially in the context of neurodivergence, it became clear: Many of my anxiety reactions were not a weakness.They were a logical response of a body that had been trying for too long to fit into a system that simply wasn’t made for it. This understanding opened the door to a new perspective on myself –and led me to a deeper, more mindful way of relating to my anxiety.

Neurodivergence: Understanding Changes Everything

So I did what always supports me on the path to a healthier, more balanced life: I began to truly understand myself in the context of my neurodivergence. Not superficially. Not as a label.But as an invitation to honest self-observation.

I asked myself questions that were uncomfortable – but necessary: Which of my needs do I repeatedly ignore with my current habits? Where do I “function” even though my nervous system is at its limit? And what do I consider “normal,” even though it constantly exhausts me? This mindful reflection gave me a deeper understanding of my own wellbeing –a core part of what I call mental wealth.

With this deeper understanding of neurodivergence, my relationship with anxiety shifted profoundly. Not every overwhelm stems from a lack of resilience. Not every panic from missing knowledge or the “wrong tools.” And not every crisis from too little mindfulness.

Sometimes anxiety arises from very real conditions, such as:

• constant sensory overload

• social expectations without real breaks

• the internal pressure to react “normally”

When I began taking these connections seriously, my focus shifted:away from constant optimization,toward regulation and balance.

And no – this didn’t suddenly make everything disappear.The anxiety didn’t vanish.The sensitive moments didn’t disappear. And I am definitely not a super coach who has found the holy grail for a permanently happy life.

But I gained something else: more context instead of self-blame.more understanding instead of struggle.and a new form of stability that isn’t based on pushing through, but on honesty with myself.

The Body as a Partner in Mental Wealth

One of the most important lessons of 2025 was: mental health doesn’t live only in the mind.

I already knew that regular movement is important for the psyche. But in 2025, I learned again how crucial it is to actively involve the body in the process of healing – often in deeply individual and creative ways.

I couldn’t think my anxiety away.I couldn’t analyze it.I couldn’t rationalize it. What truly made a difference was consciously integrating my body into my mental work.Listening to the signals of tension, nervousness, or exhaustion – and regulating through movement, breath, small rituals, or creative processes.

I’ve been moving regularly for years in many different ways: combat, core training, yoga, paddleboarding in the summer, or simply walking in nature.Time in nature, in particular, has an almost meditative quality for me – bringing calm to the mind, grounding to the body, and space to feel emotions without immediately judging them. Through this physical practice, I realized that movement alone stabilizes, but it cannot express or process everything happening in my nervous system.

This is where something unexpected came in: art.

Art was not a product for me, nor a performance goal.It became regulation. Rhythm, movement, materials, color – all of it helped my nervous system process things that had no words.

Through creative practice, I could involve my body while also strengthening my mental health.I learned that mental wealth is not just knowledge, strategies, or tools –it is the ability to see your body as an active partner in this process. The result? Not instant “happy and carefree” feelings. Not a perfect system.But a deeper, more sustainable sense of stability, self-understanding, and co-regulation, extending over days, weeks, and months.

And I gained something else: more context instead of self-blame,more understanding instead of struggle,and a new form of stability, based on honesty with myself rather than just pushing through.

Starting 2026 Mentally Strong

From all this, I’ve taken a few principles that help me start 2026 mentally strong – and that anyone can use in their own way:

1. Mental health needs space, not pressure. Healing and balance don’t happen faster just because we want them to. Allow yourself to start with pauses, reflection, and small steps.

2. Your body is your ally. Breath, movement, and creative practices are not extras – they are essential for starting the year with mental stability.

3. Knowledge + self-compassion = strength. Understanding helps, kindness toward yourself carries the energy for a strong start.

4. Listen to signals instead of optimizing. Anxiety, overwhelm, or nervousness are signals that help you act mindfully and powerfully, instead of burning out.

If you take these principles into your year, you don’t just start 2026 like any other year –you start with clarity, stability, and mental strength that can carry you through the entire year.

Well-being Rebel will accompany you on this journey – with tools, courses, and content based on science, practice, and humanity.No perfect start needed. But a strong one.