Earlier this year, Kelly from Kelly Diane Report blog wrote this piece on 10 things 2022 has taught me so far. I can’t believe we’re already 5 months into this year and boy oh boy. It’s been… something. Mostly for all the wrong reasons. I won’t lie, 2022 has been pretty damn crap so far.
I’ve never quite had a year like this when it comes to my mental health. Of course I’ve spoken in droves about my past anxiety disorder and how that affected me. And whilst I don’t suffer with anxiety anymore (yes – my anxiety disorder, the one that ruined my life has completely GONE. It IS possible!) I’ve never been in a more confused and messy state with my mental health.
I’ve never suffered from depression before. Even during the midst of the worst time of my anxiety disorder, I was never depressed about it. I went through years of therapy and learning how to manage my disorder and eventually eliminating it completely – it was a LOT of hard work. I didn’t have time to feel depressed, I was too busy trying to heal.
But this year. Oh boy. My head has been ALL OVER THE SHOP.
I won’t go into the details about how I’ve been feeling, it’s been a lot of things that are easily triggered by lots of other things. But I will say it’s been unbearably hard at times. Of course there’s always family and personal things going on as well and everything combined has resulted in a pretty depressive and messed up mental state for me. Yay.
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Of course when you go through hard times – whatever they might be – it comes with a lot of lessons. I feel like you probably do learn more from the difficulties in life than when everything is smooth sailing. So although we might only just be in May, 2022 has given me a lot of lessons so far. Lessons that I’m glad I got, despite how I got them.
So here are 6 lessons that 2022 has taught me so far:
It doesn’t matter how hard you try, you can’t specify a date for a new start
We all go into a new year with the hope that it’s going to be THE YEAR. We prep and plan as much as we can. We set goals and intentions and the whole shebang. But truth it, life doesn’t work that way and just because we change our calendar, doesn’t mean we can leave everything behind us. Shit will follow you into the new year, whether you like it or not.
Friendship and quality time reaaaaally matters
Last year, I made two of the best friends I could ever ask for. I never thought I’d make two such great friends at the age of 28 – we all know how hard it is to make friends as an adult! Those two have completely changed my life for the better. I’ve also been spending more quality time with people and I’ll never underestimate the power of that again.
I’ve even found super small things really beneficial, like going out for tea and cake with my parents on a weekday afternoon, ensuring I send some flowers to a friend who’s going through a rough time or sending a card to daddys to be that I know from Boomf. All those small acts of love and kindness have really helped me stay grounded and aware of what matters.
Talking about how you’re feeling is crucial
Considering I spent SO LONG at therapy, talking about how I felt, it’s surprising that I didn’t learn this one sooner. It’s like I learnt it, all those years ago then forgot. Over the last few months, I’ve been slowly opening up and talking more about how I’m feeling and it’s been hugely beneficial. Both to me and the people who spend the most time with me.
You actually have to face things – you can’t hide forever
I really don’t feel like I’m 29. I’m still very resentful of the fact that my anxiety disorder took a huge chunk of my 20’s from me and I feel like I’m incredibly behind where I want to be. I feel like because of this, I’ve hid from the reality of things for quite some time. But this year has forced me to have some discussions about things that have been very needed.
Related read: 17 Things To Do in Your Twenties for Self Growth
Change is scary but vital
Although no change has happened as of the time of writing, I know it will. And relatively soon. It’s a scary prospect but it’s so important and vital for my own growth. And for those around me. We can’t stay in the same place forever – physically and mentally.
Only you know what’s right for you
Another one that’s SUPER relevant to my life right now and it’s a lesson I’m very grateful to have learned. It doesn’t matter what the decision is, as long as it’s the right one for you. It doesn’t matter what others think, what others feel is right or even what you tell them. Only YOU know what’s right for YOU.
So yeah, so far, 2022 has been pretty shit. It’s been boring. It’s been mentally challenging. It’s been eye-opening (in all the wrong ways) and it’s just generally been fucking naff, to put it bluntly. But that’s okay. It’s crap but it’s okay. Because not every year is going to be a banger and we need to learn (sooner rather than later) that that’s the case.
We’ve been so programmed to go into a new year thinking this is going to be THE ONE. That it’s going to be life changing. That all our problems are going to be over, just because there’s a new number on the end of the year. Whilst that might be the case for the odd few people, for the majority, it’s not. And that’s life.
Thanks for sharing, I’m finding this year tough as well, but I tend to disagree with learning that change is a good thing as it causes to much stress for me, I’m finding that 2022 so far is to learn that life is for living not been stressed all the time 🙂
Fair enough, for me I need change every now and again otherwise I feel stuck. Not being stressed all the time is definitely a good thing to learn!
These seem like easy lessons and easy things, but they are everything but. And yet realizing and practicing these will have powerful impact on our lives.
I really hope your year turns and in about six months there’s a post how great this year has been despite of crappy start.
Thank you, I appreciate that. Yes they seem quite basic things to learn but as you say, they’re far from it.
[…] 6 Things That 2022 Has Taught Me So Far […]
I agree with everything you said here, especially the part “only you know what’s right for you”. People around me can’t understand why I’m not working for the government and getting a stable income while my dad is a police and I have a bachelor’s degree.II know what I want and I know it might not be for everyone but at the end of the day, only I can decide what makes me happy. People might say A B C but regardless, there’s only one person who needs to be happy in order for anything to work out. Thank you so much for writing this post. It was fun to read!!
Eda | yihhu.com
Absolutely agree and well done for following what’s right for you!
I fully agree with all of the things you said here. Especially about “only you know what’s right for you”. People around me keep judging why I don’t work for the government and get a stable income when my dad is a police and I have a bachelor’s degree 🙁 I hate that perception so much! I love doing what I do right now and no one knows what can truly make me happy, except myself. People may say A B C, but only you can decide what’s right for you 🙂 Thanks so much for writing this Jen. So lovely!
This is yet another year that has seemingly kicked my butt. Everything has been so difficult to achieve – but then when I do get to achieve what I want is so so great! Reading these made me feel a little less alone in the mess that our lives seem to be to the eye!
I’m sorry this year has been tough so far but you’re definitely not alone!
I feel like we recently “chatted” about this. This year has been garbage, but I commend you for finding small moments and takeaways. I fully agree – quality time sometimes feels like a chore to plan, but so worth it. Memories in the making! Change is SO hard for me, but, we’ll, c’est la vie! Keep rocking! xx
Thank you, it’s definitely been tougher than normal to find those small takeaways!
Thanks for being candid about it. I think it’s good to talk about hard stuff.
I’m sorry you’ve had a rubbish year Jenny. I hope the rest of the year gets better for you.
Many helpful points here – talking with a friend always helps me too. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jade 🙂
That last point! We can all sit here and say what you should and shouldn’t do, but only you can decide what is and isn’t right x
Yes absolutely 🙂
I love all the things you learned so far. some of them I can definitely relate to! I am learning this year that i should go back to the start, the roots if you will. For me I love writing and i honestly forgot the pure joy I get from getting my thoughts down on paper or computer. So this year I revived my blog My Gemz Of Life because I feel like I have so much to share! i am really excited for all my next steps! I am also looking to make some awesome blogger friends along the way! Oh if you would like, here is the link to my blog. I am still fairly new to the process so any feedback would be appreciated! http://mygemzoflife.wordpress.com
That’s a great place to start, well done for taking that step 🙂 x
Talking things through is a huge one for me. Can’t leave things bottled up
Absolutely agree!
You have definitely learned a lot already from the year! Thanks so much for sharing all about it!
Thank you 🙂
We can’t hide forever,but have to face things….how about when I can’t even forgive myself for the past mistakes I made,what should I do?Thank You!
Sorry, I’m not qualified to give you advice about this!
Loving this personal reflection of how your struggles have helped you gain clarity into the life lessons of 2022 so far! I feel you especially on change; it is terrifying but, oh, so necessary!
Thanks Jaya. It’s definitely necessary and it’s going to happen, regardless of how much you’re scared of it.
These are such valuable lessons that you have learned so far in 2022 Jenny, I hope you have a much better second half to 2022 lovely, you deserve it! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thanks Lucy, I hope so too haha!
Valuable lessons Jenny, hope the second half of the year is kinder to you
Thank you 🙂
These are some pretty important things to learn and it’s great you shared them as those of us reading with benefit from realizing all this too. 2022 has been a challenge for me personally but things have improved so much from where things were. It’s still a work in progress but I’ll get there (my anxiety is hanging on but I’m getting better at dealing with it). Thanks for exploring this!
Great to hear things are improving for you. Keep going, you got this.
2022 has taught us that we should not bother with negative energy and personalities. While planning for a big event, we discovered that some people in our personal lives are all take and no give. They expect the world from us, but they cannot get out of their own way to return the courtesy. They complain about doing the bare minimum to be a part of our journey but do not seem to care that we are not the unreasonable ones. They are. Because of this, 2022 has taught us to phase out that negativity and toxicity of our lives. Ultimately, we learned that we only want the unconditional supporters in our lives join us on our journey to growth, self-improvement, and achievement. Thank you for sharing this amazing post, and we are curious to see what else 2022 teaches you.
Love that you had that realisation. I think we will all know people like that. Removing the negative energy is so important- well done.
I hope 2022 is kinder to you from now on Jenny. I agree with your points here, especially about change! Thank you for sharing these lessons here x
Thank you lovely 🙂
Some very sensible points here. Hopefully this is a better year post this point for you
Thank you 🙂
Good post! Everything Kelly said about life is true. Especially when it comes to expressing feelings, facing fears and accepting changes. I also need to face my social anxiety fear. These two years of pandemic has been a sanctuary for me. And now it’s time to go out of the nest. Please wish me luck on that.
This isn’t Kelly’s post, this is mine. But thank you. It’s definitely time to get outside again, you got this!
I got to say, I’m following the last one since I was young. And now thinking about it, I know myself more than anyone. So, it make sense.
Amazing, well done 🙂
I’m sorry this year hasn’t been good to you so far. I appreciate how honestly you speak about your struggles. I felt myself nodding along with everything you’ve said here. I remember when I was in my old retail job we had a team bonding exercise (blerghh) and one of the activities was to describe how we felt about the word change. As much as I hate organised work colleague ‘fun’ it was really interesting hearing everyone’s connotations.
Claire.x
http://www.clairemac.co.uk
Great tips! I stand firmly with the fact that change is scary but vital. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you 🙂
Ooh I bet. We all have such different experiences of change and ideas about it!
I too was nodding a long the whole time I was reading! … colleague bonding? Yuck! Out of curiosity, how did you describe change? I still struggle with it – although trying to get better.
It’s so sad we only realize these things when we’re in a bad place. I hate that you had to go through all of this, but it’s amazing how you’ve made it into a learning experience for yourself.
Ah thank you very much. The difficult times really do lead to some important lessons!
Wisely noted in 2022. Thank you 😊
You’re welcome 🙂
😊🙏
Everything you’ve learnt is defiantly what I’ve come to learn this year myself! I totally agree that spending time with friends and family is important, i defiantly see a difference in my mental health when I’m around them. I’ve learnt that friendship isn’t just a one way street, both of you need to make the effort to make a friendship work. I learnt that the hard way this year but I’m glad I’ve learnt it as it’s changed my entire outlook on what a good friendship is. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely, it’s a great post! Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
I stand firmly with the fact that change is scary but vital. These are great tips!
Oh girl I have so much experience in that friendship isn’t a one way thing. It’s hard to manage but it’s so important you figure out whether some friendships are actually worth it!