Winter 2026: The Responsibility of Becoming
By Samantha Newport, Founder and Editor.
There is a quiet threshold that arrives on the edge of every New Year - the pause between what has been and what could be. A liminal room where reflection meets responsibility, and where grief for old versions of ourselves gently holds hands with hope.
Whilst the “New Year, New Me” trope is one that can feel cringingly played-out and eye-roll worthy to some, I do think it holds value – and more than that, it offers the opportunity to hope. Hope to change, to reach forward, to choose other, and begin again. And that is nothing to scoff at. These tethers to life are important, whether it’s a Monday or a January.
Where struggle “enters the chat,” however, is when we step into January holding a murky vision or feel too heavily weighted by last year’s bad habits, carried-over exhaustion, or unchallenged blind spots. That is when resolutions fail and New Year's aspirations dissolve into last year's dusty dreams. Because life does not change accidentally, as we know.
It changes when we decide to author it.
So, as we step into this new season together, I want to invite you into a new way of seeing your life - not as something that merely happens to you, but as something you are actively shaping. Something you are brave enough to take responsibility for. Something you are curious enough to explore, and to recognise that you are worth that effort and grace.
At ‘The Room - Psy’, we often visit the idea of ‘narrative design’ in our social media posts - the idea that your life is not a fixed identity, but a living story; a script that can be revised, a character arc that can deepen, and a direction that can change without meaning you have failed.
Challenging moments of feeling as if we’ve “missed out” or “failed” should we not have accomplished all we wished in the previous year is critical. Such moments do not define us or ruin all hope of ever getting “there” – it is our reaction to those moments that do. Our reaction being: whether we decide to throw in the towel, punish ourselves with more rigorous goals, or fall victim to perpetual self-sabotage because of knocked self-worth.
Unmet targets or being thrown life's curve balls does not mean that you are late, broken or behind. It simply means that you are deep within the plot – the building, fighting, and recalibrating, or maybe even immersed within a necessary side quest. You might simply be between chapters, about to step onto the following page, where you have the complete autonomy and freedom to illustrate it as you see fit (no pressure).
Because the beautiful, terrifying truth is - you get to decide what the next moment becomes. And that can be full of busyness and goal setting, or it can be about slowing down and committing to just living in a more present way; living life on life’s terms. There is no “right way” to do life – just what feels fulfilling and meaningful to you, in that season.
Designing a Life Worth Living
If you’ve ever watched a powerful film and felt changed by it, you understand narrative design intuitively. Stories move us because they show us struggle and meaning - not the absence of pain or attainment of perfectionism, but the presence of purpose and a good journey in getting the character(s) there. In the same exact sense, your life can (and does!) work in the same way. It’s a journey as much as it is a story, and it should be one with layers and twists. Without this, it’s boring and, quite frankly, what would be the point? No one wants an unseasoned plot. It’s got to be interesting and to pull against some sort of weight so growth and progression can happen.
So, what happens then if you pack some intentionality behind it?
Narrative design, when applied to our lives, asks us to think about:
Who am I becoming?
What values do I want my future self to thank me for?
What am I willing to release so that something more aligned can emerge? What will it cost me if I don’t?
‘Freedom’ in this sense is not the absence of constraint, but actively choosing the constraints that serve your growth – like bumper rails when you go bowling. You set the structure to guide your path towards an end goal (where hopefully, you score). Placing these, however, must be done with self-compassion and balance – leaving some room, also, for curiosity and whim (not an even more rigorous schedule than last year or a completely unrealistic set of resolutions, you’ll get bored with in a second and then hate yourself over).
This year, I invite you to challenge yourself not to pursue the ‘becoming’ of being someone else, but to search more deeply for yourself. Allowing room to stand still, to shed, to bloom, to get lost, and to release outdated narratives that no longer fit.
Let this be the year you stop being led by “should’s”, “ought-to’s”, and psychological Drivers, and instead, start the art of practising play - of stepping firmly into your Free Child.
A New Season at The Room – Psy
This spirit of this is exactly what fuelled the relaunch of ‘The Room - Psy’ last year in 2025, as shared in my previous letter ‘The Cost of Bravery’, and I am still in awe of how powerfully it landed.
We welcomed nine new Featured Writers, alongside an inspiring group of Guest Writers - each bringing a distinct voice, discipline, and lived wisdom to the space. Their work explores everything from psychological resilience and nervous system repair to identity reconstruction, relational depth, embodiment, meaning-making, and the quiet (and loud!) courage required to live honestly.
Some have written pieces that feel like mirrors - uncomfortably accurate yet deeply compassionate.
Others have felt like maps - structured, grounding, and clarifying.
And a few others have felt like sparks – disruptive, but in the best possible way.
I won’t spoil the discoveries for you. Instead, I want you to go hunting. Explore our ‘Psychology’ section and ‘The Green Space’ in our menu listing, or simply use the search bar on our homepage to look up a particular topic or author.
Let curiosity lead you and allow a title pull you in.
So, to our contributors: thank you. Truly.
Your work ethic, emotional honesty, intellectual rigour, and generosity of spirit have shaped this platform into something alive once again. The reader engagement, viewer statistics, thoughtful comments and messages have spoken volumes and been incredibly enriching to receive. You have worked so hard, and I am in awe of each of you.
And to our readers: your presence matters more than you know. Every share, reflection, and moment you spend engaging with this work tells us that depth still has a home. That people are hungry not just for answers, but for meaning, learning, self-development, and community.
Please keep creating with us. Keep responding, questioning, participating and sharing. Nothing feels more amazing than seeing the familiar names pop up again and again (we see you!). We appreciate you deeply, and do what we do all for you!
So, in this last season of creation, vitality, and refresh – what exactly did we do?
The Vault: Tools That Change Lives
One of our top spaces that has been thriving is ‘The Vault’ - our growing collection of worksheets, tools, and guided frameworks designed for real-world change.
No “quick fixes” or motivational fluff, these worksheets have been built to generate deeper reflection, asking uncomfortable questions and inviting conversation into our blind spots and areas of resistance; enabling users to clarify values, reframe internal narratives, regulate emotional states, build self-trust, and take aligned action – either with the support of a professional or independently.
If you are yet to explore ‘The Vault’, this is your invitation. The work waiting for you there is practical, challenging, and quietly life-altering. With big and very different additions coming this new year.
Stay curious.
Thrive: A Space for Deep Healing
Another of our most meaningful developments has been the opening of ‘Thrive’ – a space to begin your private, open-ended counselling journey. No endless waiting lists or 12 session caps!
The response has been powerful, welcoming many new clients already - each stepping into the brave work of healing, self-understanding, and personal reconstruction. ‘Thrive’ is not about “fixing”, it’s about helping you feel safe enough to explore yourself honestly, and to be supported enough to choose change that is unique to you – doing so messily and imperfectly as needed!
If you’ve been feeling the pull toward deeper work, if you’re ready to carve out your most freeing and healing chapter yet for 2026, I want you to know that the door is open and spaces are still available.
You can email me and submit a referral form here to begin your own counselling journey today.
The Library: Knowledge as Liberation
Yet another cornerstone of our growth since our 2025 re-launch has been ‘The Library’ - a free-access resource hub curated to expand learning and personal development across psychology, health, and wellbeing.
This includes books that stretch your thinking, podcasts that challenge assumptions, creators who model integrity, apps that support real change, screen media and YouTube videos that explore the human condition, and academic papers and journals for those who want to go deeper.
Knowledge is not power unless it’s integrated, but it is the beginning of agency. This space exists because, to us, access matters and sharing what inspires and fosters change is the greatest currency to trade. We just choose to do it freely.
Use it. Share it. Return to it often.
Looking Forward: “I Want More”
As we look ahead, I’m deeply excited about renewing the ‘I Want More’ section of our site - a space dedicated to activism, charity, and volunteer opportunities for each and every one of you.
Personal growth does not end with the ‘self’; instead, it expands outward.
Meaning and purpose deepens when we contribute, stand for something, and move beyond our own bubbles. This next chapter of ‘The Room – Psy’ will return to honouring this by providing you with the latest opportunities once again.
If you are an agency, charity, or organisation looking to be featured, please send us your details and pitch via our contact form.
A Final Invitation
As we step firmly into this new year together, I want to leave you with this:
You are allowed to outgrow the old versions of yourself, to want more, and to take your life seriously - and still experience joy. Which can mean whatever that uniquely looks like for you.
Treat your life like a story worth telling, because the final chapter will one day come. Therefore, you owe it to yourself to make it a tale worth telling, and one that, above all, feels good.
Thank you for being here, for reading, reflecting, and engaging, and thank you for helping make this space what it is.
Here’s to courage, to authorship, and to this next exciting, healing, and freeing season. May it be all we want and more.
With gratitude and awe,
