A quick note before you start reading: I am human. I basically lost momentum and life got a bit much, so I didn’t really keep up with my Substack when I originally launched it in 2023. I’ve been away, and now I am back and have done a few updates to this post. From May 2025, this post will look a little different to what was originally posted but will still be 100% me. I hope you enjoy. Please subscribe if you haven’t already! Thanks! Rebecca x
Let’s go back to late 2023. The year is very quickly drawing to a close and it has been a rollercoaster of a year for me. Real ups, real downs, but - as wanky as it sounds - a real year of discovery and finding some clarity for my own goals and hopes for the future.
I really thought this was the start of something. A new chapter. All that jazz. But, to be honest, it’s not until now as I make edits to this post (May 2025) that I feel like I have made any real kind of change.
I try to be open and honest about my struggles with my mental health, which is not always easy, but is something that I wanted to continue as I discovered more about this part of myself. And this is even more true today. I am 5 months post my autism diagnosis - yes, I am indeed part of the late discovered club and I am now facing life on the other side of diagnosis.
I am currently working on my art and my writing, and just spending my time working on what brings me joy and minimises the amount of overwhelm I am feeling right now. But despite it all, I still feel hopeful about the future.
This all feels like a really positive step for me and a way for me to accept and embrace who I am and what I have to offer the world. I am not sure what the road ahead looks like, but I have decided that I am enough and something will unfold if I just take a moment to pause and enjoy the view for a change.
Thank you for being with me on this journey, I hope that you get something from it too and that we can all grow and change together along the way.
Currently Reading:
And Relax…
I’m finding art really relaxing at the minute, which is something I am going to try and do more of moving forward. I’ve also been trying to find more time to be social and catch up with friends.
Other than that, as the year comes to a close and the days are consistently dark and cold, I am finding the joy in snuggling down on the sofa with a blanket, a Bailey’s hot chocolate, and a Christmas film with all the fairy lights on and my handsome fellah by my side.
Whatever you celebrate over the coming weeks, and whatever this year has thrown your way, remember - Next step: follow the joy.