2023 was a challenging year for me mentally.

In October 2022 I lost my job and I saw that as my sign to make some changes in my life. I decided I wanted to be independent and I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I was ready to start my journey as an entrepreneur, but my mental state had other plans….

I started therapy years prior to work on myself. Some childhood experiences (being bullied for 4 years straight and not getting the emotional support needed as a child) kept haunting me in my day to day life and EDMR therapy helped me feel and deal with those neglected emotions.

but apparently there was stil a lot to feel… I had to go through A LOT of emotions and they were not the fun ones. And as I had time to think (as I did not have a job to keep me occupied during the day) I went deep. cried a LOT, it came with A LOT of anxiety. The worst anxiety I had ever felt in my life, and it put a lot of strain on my relationships. April was the toughest and during May, June, I started to crawl out of this hole. I started to feel better a little bit every day, but the biggest change in how I felt was after I went back to the Netherlands to visit my family. It gave me the chance to have healing conversations with my dad and brothers and sister. I was able to close some chapters and I learned the difference between knowing and accepting….

I am a different happier, more peaceful person now and I have grown a lot. I went deep and I felt and went THROUGH it all.

I see 2023 as a gift. Was it a gift I would have asked for? No.. but it was a blessing looking back. It was bound to happen at some point in my life as you cannot run away from your feelings (I now know AND accept). I learned a lot about myself, my partner, and about us as a couple. I have gathered information and knowledge and experience I can now use to create a life that suits me best, a life that will make me happy and fulfilled.

2023 also confirmed that I want to help others that went through something similar and empower them to find their power, strengths and likes and build a life that suits their wishes. You already have all the skills to make it to the other side, and you DESERVE it!. Will it be easy? Probably not.. will it lead to a happier, more peaceful and fulfilling life? Yes!

So what skills did I learn in 2023?

Autocompassion – Being nice to myself and take rest or a step back when needed

Reflection – Understanding why I feel how I feel and what to do with that emotion, giving it time and space to do what it needs to do.

Gratitude – I am grateful for what happened to me as it made me wiser. Also.. Where I started does not define where I will end up. Having a rough start does not mean the rest of my life needs to be rough

Healing – giving my emotions the time and space to do what they need to do.

Accepting – Knowing and accepting are two different things. when you start accepting a situation or a person as is.. you will start to take different actions. You will be able to let go of things you might not be able to control and you will start focussing on things you can control. you will start focusing your energy on things you can change. It will change your life, really..

So…. How was your 2023?

Love,

Marie