Blogging about personal growth in financial independence, health, and happiness
I’ve been really bad about posting regularly on the blog lately. Like no post in the month of May bad. And you know what? That’s okay. Things have been really busy (in a good way), and I’ve been trying to be more intentional about giving myself time and space (aka slowing down). When I get stressed and try to power through, it never turns out well.
I’m traveling out of the country this week (and next). When people learn about my job, a lot of times the response I get is “Wow, it’s so cool that you get to travel!” And in some ways, it is cool. I’m visiting three new countries on this trip, and one of them has been on my travel bucket list for years.
But that doesn’t mean it’s “cool.” It’s usually exhausting and stressful. And, as evidenced by the pet-sitting line item in my last post, it ends up being really expensive. Yes, it is awesome that I get to visit new countries, but I would be traveling on my own anyway. And once I’m not working a traditional 9-to-5 job, I’ll have more time and flexibility to do so.
Don’t get me wrong–I am so excited for this trip. And for the extra week that I’m spending on vacation at the end. But this is also reaffirming that my new career path is the right choice for me and a better fit for my mental health.
My priorities of flexibility and freedom mean that even traveling is hard when it’s under a rigid schedule and with strict expectations. There’s also the fact that it’s hard to explore a country when you have specific responsibilities in a professional role on a trip. I’m glad that the direction my life is moving in better lines up with my priorities because I really believe I’ll be happier as my job lets me do more of what I love and on my own time.
Anyway, this is a short post this week; more of an update than a fully fleshed-out post. It’s just nice to get my thoughts in writing and know that even the most exciting aspects of my job come with their own downsides that I’d like to mitigate moving forward.
Next week, I’ll put out the full list of books I read in the first quarter of 2019!
Remember that NBD accident from Mental Health, Part I? Yeah, it left me pretty screwed up mentally as well as physically. I did a great job of pretending I was okay for awhile, and the panic attacks and obsessive thoughts kept getting worse. I was a mess. And ironically, it took my therapist and I awhile to figure out that I was depressed. Turns out I was so good at faking normal by that point that even in my own head, depression was masked as extreme stress and exhaustion. But when we did finally put a name to that feeling of being constantly overwhelmed and unable to find a way out, things got a lot better. Why? Continue reading “Mental Health, Part 2: Sanity and Financial Security”