Why New Year Triggers Anxiety Instead of Motivation? A Life Coach Answers For You

The world has just entered the year 2026 with grand celebrations and euphoria. As the year ends, people set new targets, make resolutions, and plan how they want to spend the coming year. Whether it is creating your vision board or simply writing down your aspirations in a diary, it is that time of year when social media is flooded with people sharing their past year's achievements and tips on how to manifest success in the coming year.

While planning future is considered an essential task, many feel the weight of anxiety trying to navigate the process. The idea of 'New Year, New Me' may not align with the reality of your mental state, eventually making you more anxious instead of motivating you for a new beginning. As many open up about this 'New Year anxiety' on social media, we spoke to Dr Chandni Tugnait, MD (A.M.) Psychotherapist, Life Alchemist, Coach & Healer, and Founder & Director of Gateway of Healing, to understand how this feeling of pressure is rising among the youth.

New Year Anxiety

The New Year is marketed as a clean slate, a fresh chapter, and a motivational reset. Yet, for many, the arrival of January brings an unexpected emotional weight. According to Dr Chandni Tugnait, instead of feeling inspired, New Year resolutions now make many people feel restless, pressured, or quietly anxious.

“This reaction is more common than we admit, because anxiety does not come from a lack of ambition; it comes from how the idea of a new beginning collides with unresolved emotions, unfinished inner narratives, and unrealistic cultural expectations. I have often seen that the New Year does not create anxiety; it just exposes it,” Dr Tugnait states.

Also Read: Performative Culture: Psychologists Explain How Social Media Is Leaving You Tired

Why Does the New Year Trigger Anxiety?

Speaking about how the New Year Resolutions have begun triggering anxiety, particularly among the youth, Dr Tugnait shares that the pressure of sudden change, especially when people still carry unfinished emotions and dreams, is a major cause. She explains several contributing factors of New Year anxiety, which basically come while planning milestones for the New Year.

The Illusion of Instant Transformation

The New Year carries an unspoken promise that life should dramatically improve simply because the calendar changed. This creates a false sense of urgency, making people feel they must become a better version of themselves overnight. Dr Tugnait emphasises, “When change does not happen instantly, self-criticism tends to set in. Motivation thrives on progress, not pressure; when transformation is framed as immediate rather than gradual, anxiety replaces inspiration.”

Unresolved Emotions from the Previous Year

The end of a year invites reflection, whether conscious or not. This often resurfaces missed opportunities, unhealed relationships, career disappointments, and unmet goals. “Instead of processing these emotions, many attempt to override them with new resolutions. The mind resists this bypassing, and anxiety emerges as a signal that something needs acknowledgement before movement,” Dr Tugnait highlights. She further emphasises that motivation cannot grow on emotional avoidance.

Also Read: Beyond The 12 Grapes Tradition: Why Grapes Are The Ultimate Winter Superfood

Comparison Disguised as Goal-Setting

Setting goals for the year has become a competition, with social media filled with achievement lists, vision boards, and declarations of discipline. What looks like inspiration often becomes silent in comparison, leading to intense pressure and insecurities.

Explaining how people measure their behind-the-scenes against others’ highlight reels, Dr Tugnait says, “This actually triggers inadequacy and self-doubt in people. Anxiety increases when goals are driven by external validation rather than internal alignment.”

The Fear of Repeating the Same Patterns

Dr Tugnait highlights a subtle but powerful anxiety - the fear that this year will be just like the last, and that planning will not change that fact. “Even when people set new goals, a part of them remembers previous attempts that failed. This creates internal conflict, where one part wants to hope, and another wants to protect from disappointment,” she states. This inner split manifests as hesitation, procrastination, or emotional fatigue.

Confusing Worth with Productivity

The New Year often amplifies the belief that one’s worth depends on output and how their year-end carousel looks. Productivity becomes a moral standard rather than a functional tool. Dr Tugnait notes that this mindset creates constant internal checks, where people judge themselves harshly for resting or feeling uncertain. When worth is tied to performance, motivation becomes fear-driven.

Bottomline

Dr Tugnait underlines that some people feel pressured instead of motivated during the New Year because motivation fails when change is demanded without emotional integration. True motivation arises when goals feel supportive and practical rather than punishing. When reflection is honest rather than rushed, and when ambition is paired with compassion, things feel simple and possible.

If you also feel New Year's anxiety, do not take it as a sign of weakness. Consider it a signal that you need to slow down, recalibrate, and choose alignment over pressure. Growth does not require a dramatic beginning - it requires a grounded and consistent one.