Heyyy...

[magie06]

Hi welcome back. I get where you are coming from. All the drink and be merry and having a picture perfect Christmas and New Year is all for show. I think it's only about 5% of the population can live up to it. All of the rest of us, just wing it. There are a lot of us who find it the hardest few days to get through. Many people we loved may have passed away, maybe there has been a lot of illness in the home or maybe we've broken up with the person who was our soulmate. There are a lot of things to upset us, and probably a lot more that we tell no-one.

Perhaps writing a journal may help. It helped me for a while, but then I got bored. Maybe getting out into nature, once a week to begin with, and building up to once a day. Perhaps it's the right time to talk to your doctor or primary care giver. Sometimes we all need professional help.

[Aspasia]

Hi magie

It's been an 'interesting' year. I've had major regrets about my job which I took in the middle of 2022 and the move from France. I miss the friends and life I had there, and the job here hasn't been everything I hoped with a crazy workload, little management support, and the challenges of the difficult economic situation here in Egypt creating a lot of pressure. And I don't have the same social life or support network I was able to create in Paris. Part of the curse of promotion I guess...

I lost two very dear friends (Suzi and another friend) in the same week. Both too young, both leaving behind children... it shook me. Neither were people I saw or spoke to daily yet both were important to me and both were a shock. Vera had cancer so it shouldn't have been a shock but we thought she was in remission so...

I also found out in Spring that my ex, who dumped me out of the blue at the end of 2022, had actually done so because he had been diagnosed with cancer and it was some sort of attempt not to burden me. We ended up getting back together because I was not gonna let that get in the way... and we even got engaged which felt like a minor miracle because honestly I'd given up on that ever happening for me... I was making plans to move to be with him, had even finally told people about it (as he was Egyptian this is a big deal as we knew there would be family resistance). Then he ended things AGAIN, over the phone, saying some really horrible and upsetting things and immediately blocking me so I still don't really know what actually happened. That was fun.

In October I got ill. Put off going to the doctor and tried to push through but ended up there anyway and was off work for a month with a skin infection that ended up going down into my leg muscle and made me unable to walk without excruciating pain. The muscle infection is solved now and I'm back up and about but the skin infection is not fully gone yet so I'm still tired all the time and feel icky.

Then recently the issues in Palestine have really unsettled me. Living and working in the region makes it hit differently, I think.

So yeah... 2023. Good riddance, glad it's over.

[Strugglingmum]

Such an awful lot Aspasia, I'm not surprised you are struggling. I cant imagine what all that has been like for you, especially with little support.

[Jaquaia]

No wonder you're struggling, that's a hell of a lot for anyone to deal with! I'm so sorry you were treated so poorly

[SJW180]

Wow! Your year mirrors mine in so many ways. Generally pretty shit.

[Aspasia]

No wonder you're struggling, that's a hell of a lot for anyone to deal with! I'm so sorry you were treated so poorly

Thanks Jaq. Being treated the way my fiancé treated me - it didn't just hurt in the moment, but left me rethinking the entire relationship, and left me with so many questions. In a way that's worse than the fact the relationship ended.

[Paula]

Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry it’s been so very shitty . Please stick around as I know being in this community will help