Reflecting on 2025 with ADHD: How to Train Your Brain to Notice Progress (Not Just Problems)

by Sumiko Stacey, ADHD Mental Fitness Coach

As the year comes to a close, many people with ADHD feel an unexpected heaviness.

You might be replaying moments you wish had gone differently. Projects left unfinished. Goals that quietly slipped away. That familiar sense of “I should have done more.”

If this sounds familiar, let me gently say this first:

Your brain is just doing exactly what it’s been trained to do.

Why the ADHD Brain Focuses on What Didn’t Work

An ADHD brain is not wired for neutral reflection. It’s wired for threat detection.

This means your mind naturally scans for:

• mistakes

• gaps

• risks

• what still feels unresolved

  
  

It’s a survival response shaped by years of pressure, masking, and high expectations.

The problem isn’t that you notice the negatives. The problem is when that’s all your brain practises noticing.

And here’s the good news (this is where neuroscience comes in):

Your brain strengthens what you repeatedly pay attention to.

Mental Fitness: What You Practise, You Strengthen

Just like physical fitness, mental fitness is built through repetition.

When you repeatedly focus on:

• what you didn’t do

• where you fell behind

• how far you still have to go

your brain becomes exceptionally skilled at spotting evidence of failure.

But when you gently train your attention to also notice:

• progress

• effort

• resilience

• growth

your brain starts to build new pathways, ones linked to confidence, motivation, and emotional regulation.

A Healthier Way to Reflect on 2025 (Without Toxic Positivity)

This isn’t about pretending 2025 was easy. And it’s definitely not about “just thinking positive.”

It’s about acknowledging reality more fully.

Try this simple reflection today:

1. Notice One Moment You Showed Up

Not perfectly. Not consistently. Just once.

Maybe you:

• asked for help

• set a boundary

• kept going when you wanted to quit

That counts.

2. Acknowledge One Thing That Feels Slightly Easier Now

It could be small:

• accept compliments

• understanding your ADHD

• being kinder to yourself

Ease is evidence of growth.

3. Name One thing that worked well This Year

Noticing what worked trains your brain to recognise supportive patterns, making it easier to repeat and strengthen them in 2026.

Why This Matters for the Year Ahead

You don’t build a better future by judging the past.

You build it by training your brain to recognise what’s already working.

When your mind learns to notice progress:

• intentionally act with ease

• confidence grows

• positive change becomes sustainable

For people with ADHD, this shift is life-changing, because it replaces self-pressure with self-trust.

Going Into the New Year With an ADHD Brain

Before setting new goals, fixing habits, or planning productivity systems, pause.

Take a breath.

Acknowledge yourself.

Because the brain that learns to see your progress is the brain that creates more of it.

Ready for a powerful next step?

Much of what drains our energy, confidence, and focus isn’t obvious. It’s driven by hidden mental patterns (often developed to keep us safe) that quietly run the show in the background.

If you’d like to uncover yours, simply email me at hello@coachsumiko.com with the words “Saboteur Assessment”, and I’ll send you the link to a science-based Saboteur Assessment.

It helps you identify the hidden patterns that undermine performance, relationship, and wellbeing

Because when you understand what’s really holding you back, change becomes lighter, kinder, and far more sustainable.