What I Learnt in 2016

Well… 2016 was quite a year, wasn’t it? I’m not going to go harping on about how rubbish it was for me because I’m aware I’m beginning to sound like a broken record right about now but in today’s post I want to talk about some of the things I’ve learnt in the past year because with difficulties, comes important lessons and all that shit. Whatever, let’s get on with it…

Don’t assume stuff: Assuming stuff is bad. Bad, bad, bad. You are not a mind-reader. I am not a mind-reader. Nobody else is a mind-reader. Nobody can predict the future – despite what some precious souls may tell you. So assuming what someone is thinking, how someone is going to act, how an event may pan out or anything else that requires you to worries incessantly for hours on end because you assume the worst is quite frankly, pointless. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst but don’t for a second start assuming you know what’s going to happen ‘cos chances are, it won’t.

Always talk: This year, I rang the Samaritans for the first time and learnt how incredibly invaluable their service is. I learnt the power of communication and how important it is to talk to people when you’re not feeling at your best. Even if that person is a complete stranger over the phone who you will never speak to again. It’s not shameful or embarrassing to realise that you need to ask for help – even professional help, which I sought out a handful of times this year too in the form of my counsellor. Do what you gotta do.

Never underestimate the value of being nice: No matter how much a loved one has annoyed you, I’ve learnt that you’ll never, ever regret being nice to someone. Doing a nice gesture will never leave you feeling empty and going to bed knowing you’ve done that one nice thing is much better than going to bed and wondering why you didn’t or why you snapped or why you were rude to someone when you didn’t really need to be. I also learnt that being nice doesn’t have to be expensive, there are plenty of nice gestures that don’t involve a penny. I also wrote a post of 25 little acts of kindness where you can get ideas from!

Time goes fucking quick and you’ve gotta make the most of things: I definitely won’t be the only one to question where the hell 2016 has gone. Like seriously, it has gone so fucking quick. It’s quite hard to comprehend, actually. It’s been the quickest year I’ve experienced since entering this sort-of wonderful world and I’m definitely a bit worried that 2017 is going to go even quicker. I’ve learnt to make the most of things a little bit more but because this year was so cack, I think that lesson is one I will be carrying into 2017 and trying to put into practice more there.

There’s always something to be grateful for: Since November, I’ve been writing one thing I am grateful for each day into a notebook. I got the idea from a self-love webinar I watched, at a time where I really needed a get-up-and-go. And although it doesn’t solve all your problems, far from it, it makes you realise that there is something to be grateful for in each and every day and it also makes you look back over your day and recognise the good in it – even if it was terrible. It gets you into a much better mind set and I’m hoping to carry this on into next year.

You can’t hold together a friendship on your own: Since I was diagnosed with anxiety, I’ve lost a lot of friends. For various reasons which I’m not going to get into. I’ve also gained some friends – mostly online but still, they are wonderful, supportive and like-minded people. But, I’ve learnt a lot this year that sometimes, even your oldest friendships will not survive if both of you aren’t putting the effort into it. I’ve 100% given up on some people this year. Not because I can’t be bothered anymore but because texting someone over 10 times and receiving no response when you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong just isn’t worth it anymore.

What did 2016 teach you? The big lessons or the small lessons, I want to hear it!