From Burnout to Breakthrough, Part 2: A Year of Writing

It has been a year since I started this blog. Last February, I made a promise to myself: write for a year, and if the ideas were still there, keep going. At that time, I was on a career break, unemployed, and struggling with burnout. I was uncertain about my future, recovering from months of interviewing for jobs that never called me back. Desperate for the next step, I had to accept – it wasn’t my time yet. It wasn’t my moment, but that didn’t mean my moment would never come. Now, one year later, here I am – still writing the story. Pow pow!

I used to think I had to control every step, that my success needed to be fast, by the book, immediate, and obvious. But writing this blog has shown me the opposite. My mom used to tell me: “practice makes perfect,” and I’d roll my eyes big time as a child. Oh, how I humbly take that back now! It’s about patience and trust – working for the right conditions to create something meaningful. It’s about building new habits and not quitting at the first sign of struggle or block. Showing up for yourself and doing better – that’s by far the hardest part.

The best part of that uncertain year was the chance to take charge of my own story. Through writing, I get to be creative, have fun, and come up with clever or niche references, hoping someone out there might find it funny, relatable, or at least understand me. And the response has been overwhelming and I am grateful for the community I’ve started building.

From close friends to lost friends, to new connections, and my fellow millennials, I’ve learned that we all struggle with the idea of who we are and are Mariah Carey-level obsessed with the idea of where we are in life. Maybe it all started with the idea that we could be anything, or perhaps it was the era of participation trophies. Maybe it began with performing every little detail for the internet to see and validate us – sorry, not sorry, Gen Z, but we were the first to this party.

Or maybe it’s just the endless cycle of comparison; that started in school, followed us online, and eventually settled deep in our heads as adults. Maybe the curse of having so many choices finally got to us. This blog has, in many ways, shown me just how much I have in common with others. Many of us played by the rules, excelled in school, and then struggled to adjust to adulthood while keeping up some sort of unattainable or fake image. Sooner or later, I realised the grading system from school didn’t matter in real life. There was no one to prove myself to – not a teacher, not a parent. Only me. And I had start unlearning my old patterns.

Where am I a year later?

I didn’t say it, I declared it!

This February, I am making a new promise to myself. Do not fall back to your old ways – it’s a trap! I’ve learned the most important thing is showing up for myself – in my own time. If I could go back in time, especially a year ago, I would tell myself to chill the f* down. Freaking out and fearing the future is normal, but there’s a whole real life happening outside that overthinking head.

In just a few months, I would end up finding a new job, meeting new people, and continuing life with no ‘interruptions’ – no longer feeling behind. It feels kind of silly thinking about it now. These are just societal constructs, and we let them get into our heads so much. There is no such thing as being behind. Our capitalistic reality means we’ll all be working until retirement – and taking breaks, trying new things, and changing our minds is a form of resistance and sometimes, the best that we can do for ourselves.

I am excited to continue to write, share my story and keep myself in check. And what a year it has been.. That was the year I quit my job and ran through my life savings. The year I fell and almost broke my ankle twice. The year I got the worst flu of my life. The year I cried my heart out in therapy. The year I slowed down. The year I danced and laughed and accepted my own sadness. The year full of joy and uncertainty. The year that made me feel alive. And dammit, if it wasn’t the best year of my life. (bonus points if you got that whole reference :D).

And so it begins – the next chapter of the story.