6 Ways to Show Up for Yourself in 2026

The new year is getting closer, have you started thinking about resolutions? 

Resolutions can be tricky–sometimes we set goals that don’t match our lifestyle or our values or ones that are just plain unrealistic. What if this year your “resolution” was simply to do your best to show up for yourself, whenever you can?

It can be hard to show up for yourself–much harder than we may think. We have a lot of demands on us, a lot of noise we have to work through to even figure out how to show up for ourselves. 

So how do you do it? We’ve gathered 6 resources to help you show up for yourself in small, but crucial ways. 

1: Get closer to your authentic self

Can a goal for 2026 be to get to know your authentic self a little better? Who are they? What do they like? How do they want to move through the world? 

“Being authentic means showing up as genuinely as you can. It means that your actions line up with your values (or you do your best to make sure that happens). When you live in an authentic way, you are staying true to yourself and your values. This doesn’t mean that you don’t listen to other people or care about others–but you don’t accept their feelings or opinions as your own. You can ask others for their wisdom, but you are the only one who knows and understands what you think and how you feel–and what next step aligns with how you want to show up in the world.”

Read: 5 Steps to Live More Authentically

2: Prioritize Mental Health Care

Can this be the year you get serious about your mental health? Or maybe, 2026 is the year you’re finally able to access mental health care. Either way, if you’re thinking of starting therapy in the new year, congratulations! That’s an incredible step to take an a brave way to show yourself care & support. And don’t worry–you don’t have to go in totally unprepared. 

Read: I Want to Start Therapy: What Do I Need to Know?

3: Nurture Your Connections

One of the best and hardest ways to show up for ourselves is to reach out to relationships we’ve neglected during a hard time. If you’ve found yourself struggling with your mental health, overwhelmed by stress, burned out, or depressed, you may have withdrawn from even the most important relationships in your life. Luckily, like everything else, reaching out to those connections when this happens gets easier with practice. This and practicing asking for help when you need it can be two of the best ways to show up for yourself in 2026. 

Read: How to Practice Reaching Out After Self Isolating

4:Don’t Avoid Conflict in Friendships: 

There will be conflict in all relationships–that doesn’t make them toxic or irredeemable, it simply means we need to learn to navigate conflict. When you can show up for these moments of conflict, you can better show up as yourself in your relationships because you won’t be avoiding saying how you feel, dancing around topics, or shutting down altogether. Being able to exist in relationships through conflict means being able to exist more fully as yourself! 

Read: Managing Conflict in Your Friendships

5: Remember your coping skills

Equipping yourself with the right tools to get through a tough situation is another great way to show up for yourself. You can’t always change the situation you’re in, but you can make sure you’re well prepared to handle it. 

Read: How to Make a Coping Skills Toolbox

6: Show up for yourself by showing up for your inner child

“Your inner child is the part of you that holds the experiences, emotions, and memories from your childhood. This mental version of yourself represents the little person you used to be—full of wonder, joy, hopes, secrets, fears, and insecurities. Your inner child carries with them both the joyful memories of childhood play and exploration, as well any pain and trauma of unmet needs, rejection, neglect, or abuse.”

Connecting with this part of yourself can heal unhealed wounds, and help you feel more connected to your most authentic self.

Read: Getting to Know Your Inner Child

If you’re looking for more ways to show up for yourself, working with a therapist can help. Contact our office today to make an appointment!