I’ve had a challenging year. A year of very big, very hard decisions. Of self‑knowing conviction followed by panicked waves of second‑guessing. An ebb and flow of movement and then stagnation — feeling emotions so heavy and so deep that it was impossible for them not to alter the chemistry of my brain.
It’s been a year of learning and then unlearning. And it takes a year like this — a course‑altering kind of year — to finally say something has got to give. To establish direction, and to create a plan that recruits every mental and emotional resource you have to recalibrate your course.
The way I see it, the power of implementing 12 small tweaks into your life isn’t about the endgame — it’s about the “1…2…” of it. The beginning. The sheer bravery it takes to look at a problem and say, “If I don’t take control of this, it will take control of me.”
Writing is step one. First, the personal, mindful kind — an honest, raw stream of consciousness. And then, writing here, on this new platform, to share what’s been learned and hopefully build a brave community of identity‑seeking comrades.
There are thousands of books that can guide a writing practice or encourage you to doodle your deepest feelings. And while I am a social worker, a writer, a feeler — my goal is different. I can offer prompts, and I will, but more than anything, I want to encourage you, my lovely reader(s), to trust yourself in this process. Create or find a physical space that calms your nervous system, pick up your favorite pen and the perfectly lined paper, and trust yourself to begin.
1…2…write.
