2024: A Year of Revival

Revival of the Body and Soul

In 2024, I meditated on the mantra: “2023 was about survival, 2024 is about revival.” Without question, revival became a core theme that shaped almost every decision, effort, and moment of growth throughout the year.

Revival was about rebuilding myself from the depths of burnout, focusing on restoring both my physical and mental well-being. It meant setting healthier boundaries at work—like clocking off at 5pm instead of 2am. It involved aiming for 7–8 hours of sleep each night, eating meals at reasonable times, and rediscovering the stress-relieving benefits of consistent exercise. Revival was also about reconnecting with my inner self, exploring my core values, and rekindling passions I had long neglected, reigniting a spark I feared had been lost.

As I navigated this journey of revival, I embraced some of the most significant milestones of my life. I moved out of my childhood home and married my partner of eight years. I left a job I had devoted nearly a decade to and transitioned into an entirely new field. I celebrated love by witnessing the marriages of six dear friends and, alongside my husband, fulfilled a lifelong dream of hiking through the breathtaking Swiss and Italian Alps.

By re-prioritising my health and returning to a state of vitality, I gained the capacity to create space for the passions that bring me joy. I made more time for reading, painting, and playing the piano, while also nurturing meaningful connections with friends who truly see and understand me. Driven by my love for authenticity and vulnerability, I took a leap of faith and started this blog—a creative outlet I hadn’t realised I needed.

Now, as the year draws to a close, I’m diving into a new adventure: cultivating a vegetable and flower garden. This project feels like the perfect way to anchor myself in the growth and renewal that my year of revival has sparked.

However… Recovery is Not Linear

Of course, 2024 didn’t come without its fair share of challenges.

I had hoped by now I would be “recovered,” but the lingering effects of burnout are still very much with me, especially at work. Cognitive fatigue, a diminished sense of personal accomplishment, and memory issues continue to be a struggle. These ongoing challenges have brought with them a persistent sense of guilt—the guilt of pushing myself to burnout in the first place, the guilt of not yet returning to my usual productivity levels, and the guilt of feeling like I’m letting myself down during the recovery process.

On top of that, I spent over a month battling back-to-back chest infections. The prolonged illness—which even saw me lose my voice completely at one point—took a significant toll on my mental health. With disrupted sleep, irregular eating, and the inability to exercise properly, I had to take time off work and lost the momentum I had worked so hard to build. A deep sense of frustration and negativity began to overwhelm me, seeping into other areas of my life. I am still working through these uncomfortable emotions.

As we step into 2025, my voice has yet to fully recover, my mind feels scattered, and I’m still grappling with an Achilles tendon injury that has refused to heal since September. The list of setbacks could go on, but despite it all, I’ve learned invaluable lessons in patience, resilience, and self-compassion—things I didn’t have the capacity to embrace in 2023 when I was operating on survival mode. Looking at the bigger picture, I can say with confidence that, at least, I’m moving in the right direction.

2025: The Pursuit of Harmony

Carrying my renewed sense of hope into the new year, I have settled on a new mantra: “2024 was about revival, and 2025 is about harmony.”

After a year of building healthier habits, rediscovering my passions, and deepening my sense of self, my focus for 2025 is to uncover a personal framework that allows me to sustainably integrate my passions, responsibilities, and aspirations. Through this framework, I want to cultivate a flow that allows me to honour my commitments while carving out space for creativity, active rest, and deep connection (with my inner self and others).

How will I achieve this harmony? I’m not entirely sure yet. Historically, I’ve struggled to strike balance in my life, often obsessing over studying, work, or specific passion projects at the expense of other important areas. As an example, I’ve now replaced working until 2am with painting or writing (for my blog) until 2am…

What I do know is that creating this framework will take consistent self-reflection, discipline, and personal accountability—yikes! But in many ways, I’m excited for the journey, knowing that growth comes from addressing my past struggles, identifying blindspots, and facing uncomfortable truths.

Have you thought about your intentions for the new year?