Its Been a Year Now..

Its Been a Year Now..

That I've been laid off. I'm honestly shocked and don't really know how time has passed so quickly. I do feel like a completely different person - which is a good thing. I feel much more relaxed and confident now that I've gotten over such a toxic work experience as well as toxic people. One important thing that I've learned this year is how to take better care of my mental health. It's nice to finally feel recovered and to see things changing in positive ways.

A list of what I've done in my year of unemployment:

- Travel: Peru, France, New York, Seattle, Oregon, Hawaii, LA
- Work: Learned to work for myself
- Spent more time with family
- Spent time with my Aunt before she passed
- Broke up, got back together, broke up again
- Had my little brother as a room mate, kicked him out after a month
- Went on a few cleanses
- Fought insomnia
- Read a bunch
- Got a nice new couch
- Applied to graduate school (cross your fingers!!!)
- Built a blog
- Went to some awesome shows
- Tried acupuncture
- Got cable
- Got more obsessed with fashion blogs
- Avoided the SF Industrial Design scene
- Learned a few new craft skills
- Made an effort to address anxiety and stress
- Think about things, what was working, what wasn't working
- Snuck into my first frat party. It was gross
- Got a diamond ring
- Learned to LOVE being a hermit
- Improved my immune system - not as much colds
- Got my portfolio to level awesome
- Received an IDSA finalist design award, entertainment category

I guess many of the things that I've listed seem like mundane day to day events. To me, what I've gained through this year of unemployment was to build an identity outside of product design and work. Again, I am glad that I went through this, but I'm glad that it's over. Anyway, enough of this introspective stuff, yay 2010!