Sorry for being gone so long. I've been struggling with my mental health, financial stressors, and some of the relationships in my life and that has pretty much put me out of commission since the early months of this year.
Most significantly, I was diagnosed with Level 1 Autism in early February of this year. I'd suspected I had Autism for a while, but to finally have it confirmed was both a relief and a lot to take in at first. It cleared up a lot of the things I've gone through in my adult life, such as struggling with maintaining a job, being consistent with friendships, etc...but also confirmed some fears I'd had about how I'd been treating other people in my life despite thinking I was doing better than I was.
This left me with a lot to think about and reflect on, and that, combined with the job I began in January (and have since moved on from, thankfully), made for a very challenging start to the year. I was on medical leave again for a total of two months. That, combined with missing work and some bad spending habits, have left me pretty financially strained. I am back to part-time work now and, despite not making nearly as much money, has left me feeling more stable.
I'll also be moving in August to live with my boyfriend (same state, different town). To keep a long story short, we met on DeviantArt when we were both in high school, went our separate ways for a bit, reconnected in February of this year, and have become a couple. As is typical for relationships, some things have been rocky, but he's really helped me get through these last few months and I don't know what I would've done if I didn't have him back.
I've thought about making this post many times before, but backed out every time because I didn't know what to say, and also because I didn't know if I deserved to come back. Looking back with my diagnosis in mind, I remembered all the times I'd lost my temper during my streams and went on tirades and thought "who would want to watch that?" But I want to practice some humility and admit to myself that I've gone about some things on social media in a way that I'm not proud of, but also plan to do better in the future.
I appreciate all the kind words and support you all have given me since I last posted, and just know that they have helped me a lot. Sorry this was a little long-winded, but I wanted to give you all an explanation of where I've been and where I'm at now. I can't promise I'll be posting art or being as active on here as I was before anytime soon due to my upcoming move, but I'll be around if any of you want to say "hi."
Thank you all, and I hope you've been doing well. 💕
