In the greatest rollercoaster example possible, 2025 ended up becoming one of the happiest and most important years for my health and personal development.

The year began with an intense sense of discomfort, accompanied by an urgent need for change, or even a fresh start. I had to recalculate routines, plans, and goals. I won’t go into details, because the intention here is not to revisit the reasons, but to record how everything ultimately worked out and how my life got back on track. For brief context, 2024 was marked by a deep depression, constant self-sabotage, and a state of mental health that could no longer be ignored.

As mentioned, 2025 was a year of rebuilding and self-discovery. Documenting this matters, a lot, because we often forget how capable we are of getting through difficult phases.

When I stop to look back, I’m even surprised by how many things happened and changed. I really like the idea that in six months life can change completely. Now imagine an entire year.

I started transitioning my diet toward vegetarianism. I began a relationship. I landed two jobs within a single year, the second, and current one, being a position I couldn’t be more satisfied with. My anxiety and FOMO decreased significantly, largely thanks to meditation and the way I began structuring my habits and routines. I was able to buy expensive things I had been planning for a long time. I created this blog and got back into several of my artistic hobbies. I traveled to Rio de Janeiro and met my partner’s family. I drastically reduced my alcohol consumption, which had been a critical issue. I quit smoking entirely, even though I was never a regular smoker, since occasional use doesn’t cancel out the harm. I reduced my intake of salt and sugar, the latter being a serious problem for me, almost like a dependency. I walked more, lived good moments, and shared time with people I love and who matter.

None of this happened by chance. Without initiative and fundamental convictions, none of it would have happened. Trusting myself more. Taking care of myself and making myself a priority. Taking risks and changing jobs. Allowing myself to fall in love in a healthy and unhurried way. Giving attention to and spending more time with family and friends. Starting the blog. Persisting in the dietary transition. Stepping further away from social media. Seeking a healthier life, mentally and physically. Being less hard on myself and understanding that the universe has its own pace. If you allow me to be a little cringe and quote Billy Joel, Vienna waits for you.

To avoid saying everything went exactly as expected, I admit I didn’t eat as many fruits as I would have liked, missed many movies in theaters, and didn’t go to the gym. Still, very few things truly got out of control. Today I understand that I was too radical when setting goals in previous years. From now on, the idea is to stay realistic and keep my feet on the ground.

So, 2026 comes in less as a fresh start and more as a continuation.

I have no doubt that I want to write more. I procrastinated for years before creating the blog. Now that it exists, the idea is to write frequently and spontaneously.

I want to read more books. I’ve always read a lot, but in recent years I’ve been stuck with comics, scattered texts, and fast content. Books have a different depth. They help with the creative process and I believe they support this desire to write more.

I want to go to the movies at least twice a month. I love films and I love the cinema experience. The rush of 2025 kept me away from that more than I would have liked.

I want to practice meditation more often. Not to think more, but to become quiet. If David Lynch managed to meditate twice a day for forty years without missing a single day, I can also set aside some time.

I want to go to the park at least once a month, step away from technology, and reconnect with nature and the physical world. The routine of a big city distances us from that more than it should.

I want to move forward with my dietary transition, cutting out other types of meat and, hopefully, finishing the year consuming only chicken and fish at most.

I want to decide, plan, and travel to a new place, within or outside the country.

I want to save money for a down payment on an apartment in the city. A classic goal for someone born into a broken real estate economy.

I want to keep closer contact with friends and relatives. I know I’ll regret it if I don’t do it now.

Some goals depend on time and money. Theater and piano classes are on that list. Theater, especially, makes me uncomfortable and anxious just thinking about it. Putting myself out there doesn’t feel natural. The thing is, I’ve always been very good at creating characters and improvising dialogue. Maybe that’s exactly why it makes sense to try.

This text, overall, is just a reminder of the process and also of how much I should be proud of myself. About understanding that change is possible when it stops being a promise and becomes a daily choice, almost always imperfect, but still possible.

This is my first post here, and I admit I felt some hesitation in making it public, aware that my writing still has a lot to evolve.

To finish, I want to record how deeply grateful I am to still be alive and surrounded by people I love and appreciate. Honestly, I’m happy to be able to write this.

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