Lessons I’ve Learned This Year

2025 has been one of the hardest years of my life, and I never saw that coming.

But it has taught me a lot.

So here are thirteen of the most important things I’ve learned this year, amidst mental health, OCD and eating disorder recovery, grief, a long-term relationship break-up and life generally just throwing one curveball after another.

  1. Not every chapter is meant to be beautiful.

  2. Your mind will never be silent whilst your body feels unsafe.

  3. What happened to you wasn’t your fault, but it is your responsibility to heal.

  4. Numbing your pain isn’t a solution.

  5. You do not have to earn the right to be okay.

  6. Not feeling ready doesn’t mean it’s the wrong choice.

  7. Not everyone is meant to make it in to every season of your life.

  8. Healing doesn’t happen overnight.

  9. A mirror cannot reflect all the reasons why you are loved.

  10. Bad thoughts do not define you.

  11. It’s okay to just exist. You don’t always have to strive for what’s next.

  12. Change can feel unbearable but it is the only route to somewhere better.

  13. It is the little things that makes life worth living.

I’m hoping that 2026 will bring a lot less lessons and a lot more joy, healing and peace.

What lessons have you learned this year?

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