Nine and a half years ago, I was in an awful place; I suffered from deep depression and panic attacks. I had no prospect of getting back to my very social life again. I was heavily medicated, and I was more or less a shell of my former self. I needed to find a way back, and even if I started a series of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) sessions, I still felt my brain was ‘fried.’
A week or so before I crashed a Samsung Galaxy Tab with a 10'2 inch screen, I named it Amelie. Amelie became my companion, lifesaver, personal assistant, and a way back for me to who I have become. She (Well, I named her Amelie, right?) became my best friend in the Universe at that low point in my life.
There were a lot of lessons that came from this use of Amelie. …
Some people have dedicated workspaces in their homes, but I’m not one of them. I run my office from their the Koffice (Kitchen Office) or my Soffice (Sofa Office). When I started as a blogger/Writer/Consultant, I ran my office from various coffee shops and even hotel lobbies for many years. Really wherever I could find a decent free wifi connection, and my colleagues were other digital nomads like me. I still like the idea of working, not together, but side by side. But due to my limitations now, and of course, the pandemic, I can’t do it anymore.
The centerpiece is, of course, my trusted Chromebook; going on nine months now, this machine is such a great joy for me, and it has honestly changed my life in more ways than anything else in a long time. I have found back to the joy of writing. …
New year, it’s magical, it’s unused, and it’s filled with so many hopes and dreams. And it’s for us to fill it with all of our own magic; no one else can do it. For me, this year will be a year in transition, move to a new place. Getting to know new people, and continue my learning, acquire new and exciting knowledge.
It’s no question that it is the month filled with hopes and expectations. And for me, living by myself, it was a much different Christmas and New Years' celebrations this year.
Firstly I wrote about New Year's resolutions and why I no longer do them. And what I suggest you do instead!
Ti’s The season Chronicle is my first longer chronicle in my own publication.
Things I Would Tell My Younger Self is about the life lessons I will love to share with my grandchildren.
My 2020 In Review is a review of my disrupted/tough/sad/horrible/hopeful year that also was a year of productivity. …
“You heard it here first is the sub-sub headline here ;)”
Soon is 2020 ended, and it’s been…. well, a year not like any other. I’m guessing not so many predictions have been completed or even started. The Disrupted year maybe we should call it. In many ways, a halted year, where dreams have gońe shattered and so many people lost their lives to the Pandemic and its following sicknesses. It’s not so many people that have thrived, but for me, this has been a year when I became a Writer, finally, I’ll say. …
I had good growth in reads on my articles here at Medium, up to the 4th of November, So after the election, my reads dripped to 1/4 of what it was before.
The graphs in comparison:
October was reasonably good.
November too until the drop after 4th of November
Truth to be told, 2020 has not left anybody unmoved; we have all had our sorrows and hurdles. Some more than others, and it’s no doubt 2020 will have put a dent in our realities wherever we live. The lessons we learned, the changes we had to make, the doubts and hopes, the losses we made. The fact is we will never be the same and remember;
It’s not over yet!
Came to one of my nights where the sleep didn’t found me, and when that happens, I usually have two cures for it. The first is to write my first thoughts down and try not to get too involved in those thoughts. The second one is to brew extra strong coffee. Yes, you read it right, coffee!
So this night, I was awake between 2 am and 4:30ish am. It started with me waking up with a panic attack. And that’s not a good thing at all, but after taking two benzos to calm me down, I felt much calmer. So while calmer, but not sleepy at all, I go to the kitchen to brew some coffee. While it’s brewing, I sit down at my yellow kitchen table and start scribbling in one of the journals that I have and rarely use. After a while, the scribbling starts to be not just scribbling but actual thoughts that make sense. …
So, it’s that time of year again. The wish for Christmas, the tension get’s higher the closer the Christmas eve we get. The children's starry eyes glance at the Christmas parcels under the Christmastree, and one or another of them are squeezed, shaking, or just lifted to get a sense of what’s in them. It’s a wonderful time for almost everyone.
But this year will be different in many ways for families all over the World. They (We) cant gather as we’re used to so many will spend Christmas alone. And so do I, as I can’t risk getting infected with the virus. So I will be alone too, it’s not I haven’t done it before, but now when I have grandchildren, it’s such a blessing to see them open the parcels and see the joy they show when getting the gifts. …
I never make new years resolutions as I have seen that they never work and add more stress to my already stressful life. No, since I stopped making those, my life and creativity have been improving significantly, And I’m never going back.
The incentive is all wrong
Or instead, there are too many, and it makes your brain reason to quit before you even get started. All the choices aren’t helpers; they hinder the way for you to accomplish stuff.
You think that it's what you want to do
But honestly, most of the resolutions are because of other people's expectations, not your own. Don’t be so colored by other people's thoughts. …
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