January

• starting off the year with the flu, a repeat of last year's beginnings
• reading Camus' THE PLAGUE & Susan Cain's QUIET (a revelation)
• watching SUCCESSION, PRETEND IT'S A CITY & MODERN LOVE
• working two jobs: going back to working two days a week for my former boss, whilst working three days at my new job
• trying to regain the balance & better my (work) life with apps (Headspace & Pomodoro)
• savouring lunchtime walks with co-workers on the rare office days, enjoying the social contact and chilly January air
• the return of snow after years of mild winters: walking home in the serene snowscape before curfew, feeling the snowflakes on my skin
• battling a variety of stress-related health issues and bodily ailments until finally seeing a doctor and making an appointment with a therapist and physical therapist
• buying plants and flowers for my sister's birthday and taking a magnesium bath at her house to relax my muscles

February

• watching NORMAL PEOPLE and gaining an elevated appreciation for the story and characters
• ACT therapy, mindfulness, physical therapy, bathing rituals and massages
• getting way too into the phenomenon that is Larry Stylinson
• guilty pleasure dance parties to One Direction, 90s pop and 00s rock
• letting myself be vulnerable, having honest conversations with therapists and employers and slowly opening up
• losing myself into music and disappearing into disassociating daydreams
• finally feeling like myself again, getting a grip on my mental state by loosening the reins, no longer confining myself, allowing myself to enjoy things and approaching life with more levity (admitting problems and asking for help is key)
• finding structure by not putting the emphasis on it so much
• reuniting with old co-workers; finding comfort in other people
• endless walks around the city, rediscovering old routes and discovering new ones
• transitioning from snow and ice to sunny spring days
• treating myself: hot chocolate, caramel lattes, watermelon, blueberries, pancakes with maple syrup, and ice-cream