Are You Heading for a January Crash?
- Jamaine Pearce
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Every January starts the same way.
New year. New me. A rush of motivation that feels intoxicating, convincing, almost seductive. This is the year we finally sort it out. The year everything changes. The year we become disciplined, consistent, glowing versions of ourselves who definitely go to the gym and absolutely do not eat chocolate for breakfast.
We set goals that are ambitious, impressive, and — if we’re honest — wildly unrealistic. We go hard, fast, and all at once, fuelled by adrenaline and optimism. And for a short while, it feels incredible!
Then reality creeps in. Energy dips. Life resumes. Motivation fades. And when we inevitably slow down or miss a step, we don’t pause and adjust — we criticise. We shame. We decide we’ve failed.
That moment is what I call the January Crash.
The January Crash (You’re Not Broken — You’re Predictable)
Here’s the thing no one really talks about when they’re busy shouting new year, new you from every corner of the internet: Most people don’t keep their New Year’s resolutions. Only around 9% of people actually stick to them long-term. Nearly a quarter give up within the first week, and by the end of January, almost half have already stopped trying. Which means that if you’re feeling stuck, behind, or quietly abandoning your plans while pretending you’ll “get back to it on Monday” — you are very much not alone.
You’re not weak. You’re not lazy. You’re not failing at something everyone else is magically nailing.
You’re responding exactly as a human nervous system tends to respond when it’s pushed too hard, too fast, with far too much pressure attached. Especially if you’ve spent years in survival mode.
Confession Time
So here’s my confession. I didn’t even get out of the starting blocks this year. I’m still very much in Christmas mode, convincing myself that all the leftover chocolate needs to be eaten (for emotional closure, obviously), and that I’ll just have one more bottle of wine before I properly commit to Dry January.
Which would be fine… except we’re already halfway through January.
So what have I achieved so far? Honestly? Not much.
But here’s the unexpected part — I also haven’t failed. There’s been no dramatic crash, no all-or-nothing spiral, no familiar inner monologue telling me that I’ve already ruined the year and may as well give up entirely.
There’s just been… space. And for once, that space doesn’t feel like punishment.
Why January So Often Ends in Burnout
This is the pattern so many of us repeat, year after year:
We start high.We aim big.We go all in.
We do brilliantly for a short stretch — just long enough to prove to ourselves that we could do this — and then the adrenaline wears off. Dopamine drops. Life interrupts. And instead of changing the plan, we decide that we are the problem.
Cue guilt. Cue shame. Cue giving up completely.
The January Crash isn’t caused by a lack of motivation. It’s caused by a strategy that relies on motivation staying high indefinitely, which simply isn’t how humans work.
So How Do We Actually “Win” January?
If we’re being brutally honest, there are usually four options on the table:
1️⃣ Smash it-Go all in. Gym every day. Perfect eating. Flawless discipline.(Statistically speaking… unlikely.)
2️⃣ Never start-Avoid disappointment altogether. Stay comfortable. Protect the ego.-Very tempting.
3️⃣ Start strong, crash hard, and feel terrible about it. The classic. The one most of us know intimately.
4️⃣ Or — and this is the uncomfortable option — change the strategy completely
Not the goal. The approach.
The Tortoise Year 🐢
This year, I’m choosing option four.
Not because I’ve given up on my goals, and definitely not because I don’t want change. I still want to feel stronger, fitter, and more at home in my body. I still want my glow-up. I’m just no longer willing to sacrifice my nervous system to get there.
I’ve spent too long living in survival mode to pretend that sprinting towards self-improvement is harmless. That frantic energy might look productive on the surface, but it comes at a cost — and I’m done paying it.
So instead of charging ahead like the hare and burning out by February, I’m starting this year as a super-chilled tortoise. Slow. Steady. Regulated. Still moving. This calm didn’t come easily, and I’m not letting January bulldoze it.
You Don’t Need More Motivation — You Need Sustainable Dopamine
Here’s the part that quietly changes everything:
Motivation doesn’t usually come before action. It comes from the right kind of action.
Burnout brains — and ADHD brains, and survival-wired nervous systems — don’t respond well to huge goals, rigid rules, or relentless pressure. They shut down under all-or-nothing expectations.
What they respond to instead is:
Safety
Small, visible wins
Progress that feels achievable
Movement that doesn’t threaten collapse
That’s how you keep dopamine flowing without burning out, and without getting bored or giving up halfway through.
I’m Not Giving Up — I’m Choosing a Pace That Works
I’m not quitting my dream. I’m not lowering my standards. And I’m definitely not settling.
I’m just choosing a pace that allows me to keep going — one that respects where I am, rather than punishing me for not being somewhere else yet.
If you’re teetering on the edge of a January Crash — or quietly trying to avoid one — I’ve put together a free, gentle resource to help you keep moving forward without burning yourself out.
No hype. No punishment. No “new you”.
If you’re already crashing — start here
I’ve created a free January Crash Survival Kit for anyone who:
Feels behind already
Has lost motivation
Is stuck in “I should be doing more” mode
It explains what’s happening in your brain and gives you a slow, nervous-system-friendly way forward.
No pressure. No perfection. Just something to hold you steady.
Final thought
You’re not failing January.
January is failing you — because it asks for transformation at a time when most people are still recovering.
This year, we don’t sprint. We don’t quit. We don’t punish.
We plod. And we win.
🐛💜
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