Healing, Hustling, and Hanging in There
Wow… where do I even begin?
The last time I posted was October 29th, 2024. That feels like a lifetime ago. So much has happened between then and now—May 2025—and honestly, I don't really know how to sum it all up… but I’ll try.
Let’s start with school. I’ve officially completed all my required modules, and in February, I finally began my graduation project—my thesis. It’s been a wild ride. Around the same time, I started antidepressants. That decision came after a long, frustrating wait and way too many phone calls. But looking back, I’m really glad I took that step.
The thing is, once the meds kicked in, I started realizing just how angry I had been for so long. Angry at the world, angry at myself, angry at how invisible my struggles felt. I was cranky, overwhelmed, tired… and under all of that? I was just sad. But no one seemed to notice—because I was still the girl who “managed.” The girl who always got good grades, kept up with everything, and didn’t really seem like she was falling apart.
But I was. It turns out, most of that “managing” was anxiety. And masking. I was diagnosed with ADHD in May 2022, at 22 years old. That means I spent years learning how to push through things in ways that weren’t actually healthy—they were just survival mechanisms. Now that my meds are helping quiet my brain a little, I’m starting to see how bad it actually was.
I still deal with anxiety—some days more than others—but it’s manageable now. And that’s huge.
One of the brightest lights during all this has been the people around me. Especially one person in particular: a girl from my project group who’s also doing her thesis. We clicked immediately, like we’d known each other for years. We can fangirl about the same stuff and talk about literally anything. It feels like God—or the universe, or whatever you want to call it—put us in each other’s lives at just the right time. I sometimes wonder why we didn’t meet earlier, but deep down I know: I wasn’t ready. I was still hurting. Still angry. We wouldn’t have connected the way we do now.
As for my depression? It’s still a work in progress. My doctor and I agreed I’ll continue with my meds at least until September. Right now, I’m not ready to stop—I’m feeling better, but I’m not fully recharged yet. It’s like I’ve finally pushed a heavy boulder into balance, and I’m scared that if I stop now, it’ll roll right back down. I want to give myself a real shot at long-term healing.
Now let’s talk about my thesis. We have a complicated relationship. I’ve just wrapped up 18 interviews—some were genuinely interesting, others were… well, torture. Especially the transcribing. Now I have all this data and I’m staring at it like, “What are you trying to tell me?”
I have four weeks left. Today was the last interview. And while the process has been intense, I’m grateful for the working environment we’ve created. My partner (who’s also working on his thesis) and I moved into a different part of the university building. I now sit with my thesis-bestie at our own little desks with second monitors, in a public area where we’re allowed to laugh, talk out loud, and just be. We said, “We only have four weeks left, we should be allowed to enjoy it.” And honestly? It’s been a little party.
My thesis focuses on communication strategies for the closing conference of a coastal project. It’s been a challenge—especially because my client kept changing his mind in the beginning. But now that I’ve started setting boundaries, things are finally calming down.
Oh—and on top of all that, I’ve been job hunting! My partner and I are planning to move to a different city—me, for job opportunities; him, to be closer to the university where he’ll start his master’s.
I’ve considered doing a master’s too, but right now? I’m 25, and after so many years of studying, I’m craving stability. And, let’s be honest—money.
The exciting news? I recently got in touch with a secondment agency, and they sent my CV to six organizations. Within five minutes, one of them called back saying, “We want her.” Tomorrow, I have my interview on location. I have a really good feeling about it—it could be an amazing place to start my career. So… fingers crossed.
That’s my messy, beautiful, chaotic little life update. Thanks for sticking around. It means more than you know.