The Psychology of November

November is an odd month. Not the clean-start energy of September, or the sentimental reflection and holiday spirit of late December. It’s this strange middle zone where a lot of people are running at ~60% capacity and pretend it’s 100. Your inbox keeps moving, events keep happening, and work-wise and socially expectations remain high. But mentally speaking, you feel ready to check out.

I’m here to challenge the idea that now is the time to dissociate into year-end and holiday nothingness. The doldrums of November can actually be a great time for behavioral change to take place and have a lasting impact. Here me out…When the pressure is lower, there’s no ceremonial “start”, and no audience to impress your nervous system can feel quieter, and new patterns can take shape, and find a permanent home in your routine.

This is why showing up now matters. If you keep even the light version of your routines going through November - morning journaling, daily movement, boundaries with your calendar - you don’t have to “restart” in January. You’ve already carried momentum across the bridge. December doesn’t become a derailment, it becomes a continuation of your work.

Last year one of my clients added a 7-minute buffer between “putting her phone down” and “getting into bed.” Just seven minutes. For journaling, stretching, reading or sometimes nothing. She started that routine in October. It never got dramatic. No trackers, no big announcement, etc. By January her sleep was steadier, nighttime anxiety was reduced, and she felt confident in her new routine. Most importantly, she didn’t feel pressure to start something new on January 1, because it was already happening.

Most sustainable change doesn’t happen in the shiny-marketed months. It begins here and now- in these in-between moments - when you’re not performing, just showing up entirely for yourself.