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Life: Your personal year in review for 2025
A new year is soon upon us, so, what was the past one like for you?
Share anything about your own personal life in 2025 that you want to. Highlights; disappointments; milestones; celebrations; etc.
All things considered, 2025 wasn't a bad year. I've definitely had worse years. But recency bias and situations initially made it seem like this was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.
Yeah, work was a lot stressful during the first half of the year (I'm a US federal employee...), but it mellowed out a lot by summer. And I got a good deal of mental relief once I got out of probation back in the fall. I can no longer be fired for merely being a probationary employee. Theoretically, anyway *shrug*.
But I also started understanding my role at work and how I fit into things. Most of the imposter syndrome started melting away. I don't know everything, but neither do my coworkers. I'm learning new skills, which is what I wanted most out of this job. I like who I work with, I like who I work for (in the immediate sense...don't really care for the folks at the tip-top, for obvious reasons), I like what I do. Only thing that'd make it even better is going back to a hybrid schedule...And also getting rid of those assholes running the government...
On the personal side, it was actually a lot more fun that I thought it was going to be. I traveled a lot more than I expected. I took eight or nine trips this year, almost all pleasure; only one for work. And about half were to places I hadn't been before. I went from coast to coast to coast.
I was able to do that because my financial situation is solid. Even during the government shutdown, when I was furloughed and didn't get paid for six weeks (we got backpay), I realized I could survive on my own for like 3-4mo without income, if necessary. I never thought I'd be able to do that. Plus, paid off another student loan -- made the final payment yesterday!
Still forever alone, but that's not a huge concern for me. I have my family, I have my friends. They're all still doing well and I still have strong relationships with them all.
In the end, I survived 2025. Which I know for some, maybe even many, is already a strong achievement. But I think I did more than that this year. So 2025 turned out to be a good year for me. I hope 2026 is just as good if not better.
Hey your post made me really happy. I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying your job, the growth, and having time and funds for your travels. This year has been rough for so many out there, so seeing someone doing well is awesome. Also congrats on paying off your student loan! That is huge. Keep kicking ass out there 💪
Good thread -- I'd say that my/our success is that we brought a smiling, active one year old to her second year, and she's already stringing great big sentences together.
Yesterday's favorite was: "No bath, no diaper. I sit in the poop ok. Bye bye"
The rest of the break is being spent potty training, so it feels like we're entering back into the Thunderdome.
My personal philosophy has shifted from stoicism to pragmatism. It seems like, for the most part, (and this is coming from a N. American perspective) the more things seem to get worse out there, paradoxically, I feel at ease. Keyword being seems. I've become more aware about myself, how I do things, how I react to situations, and that should be well enough. I've turned inward, in a sense. For my personal hobbies, this has been the best year on record, learned a ton of new skills, broadened my personal growth in areas I've shied away from/neglected over the years. I've learned to embrace "monotasking" instead of being a clunky omni-handed Frankenstein. Of course, I would hope things get better "out there", but by the way things are going, perhaps the best thing for myself is to continually improve upon myself and share these skills of mine with those who are also willing to expend that same energy.
Is my understanding of stoicism wrong? It seems to me that that attitude is exactly what stoicism is about.
That is, you are in control of your happiness, since your happiness only exists because of your thoughts about the world around you, and you have control of your thoughts.
What's the key difference in your mind?
I believe that stoicism and pragmatism are definitely related, but where stoicism is the expense of directed attention (attuning to the controlled response), pragmatism spares no expense of thought to "the out there" and is mainly focused on the "what works for me, what I need to do next" aspect. Have I been misconstruing these two the whole time?
No, I think your interpretation is reasonable. It's philosophy so someone can always quibble with you, but stoicism is intrinsically linked to community and surroundings. To be certain there's an immense focus on the person/self/daemon, to @papasquat's point, but I'd argue that you can't pull a stoic completely out of the context of what surrounds them.
So this year was the final straw for a lot of issues I've let fester in my life. And it mostly stems from spending the last few years at my family's joke of a company, hoping that the Hard Work Fairy to come down and make the misery mean something. Well I've now fully destroyed my physical, mental, social and financial well being and I'm getting the sense that the Hard Work Fairy isn't real.
So, handing in my resignation on Friday and will be out by the end of Jan. They don't get to say that I walked out in the busiest period of the year, but everyone is stretched so thin that I don't think psyco and lapdog will even consider a proper handover. So online and WhatsApp store, international customers, the chemical and cosmetic suppliers, the branded products wholesaler, tech subscriptions, the SAMBA server, and the crypt of IT infrastructure they refuse to upgrade can all take care of themselves.
I have money on them calling me for the next six months asking if I'm ready to come back to work.
I'm sharing this here because I can't exactly voice this to anyone besides my wife. The family reputation is something that is pretty potent and if my last walk-out back in 2011 is any indication, I don't think anyone would be particularly interested in my side of this story. Especially not if I say that I'm actually happy and hopeful for the first time in a very long while.
So here's to 2026.
If it's worse than 2025, then I'm convinced I actually did die back in 2018 and I'm descending through layers of eternal torment.
I think I've just had emotional whiplash all year, and I'm really excited to leave it behind to be honest.
The first few months I was forced to pretty much cut off a friend because of a situation involving another friend, I disagreed with how he handled the situation and it was egregious enough that I felt the need to cut him out. As a mutual friend said, "it's crazy that a guy can go from being considered on a groomsman line to not even being invited to the wedding". It still sucks. But I'm glad that I did it, at the very least I know that I respect my own values enough.
Later in the year I fell in love. Then the relationship came crashing down. As did my mental health. But because of it I finally got on antidepressants and moved to New York so there's at least a silver lining.
Finally a month or so ago I was terminated from my job. I was there for 4.5 years, and was hoping to get to at least 5. But it definitely sucked and I was thrown for a loop. Luckily for me, I was interviewing and exactly a week after getting let go I was hired to a better company, better position, better salary.
I've spent the past year developing a dumb AI product for a dumb company trying to get on the AI hype train and it's been awful. We've completed 5ish years worth of work in 2 years. I'm exhausted and there's no end in sight. They're paying me really well, but I would gladly split my salary in half and do half the work if I could just get them to hire someone to help me.
There are plenty of good things in my life, I just wish my job was background noise instead of front and center of my every day. Instead it seems like my actual life has become background noise.
2025 was my year of health. I got layed off late 2024 and spent the entire year of 2025 trying to regain my physical health as well as build up my new identity and mental resilience.
Some background info: I've been in therapy for around 4-5 years for depression. I struggle with exhaustion due to narcolepsy and work was making my life hell as I was out of spoons for the week by Monday afternoon. I was a shell of a person. Over time, I got very sick, lost a lot of weight, and my body started to break down. I'm talking stomach pains, joint problems, frozen shoulders, hip and knee issues, amongst others like my hands shaking where I could barely write, my hair falling out in bald spots, and more that I will leave out. You get the picture. So coming into 2025, my new focus was to regain my health.
I spent the first quarter of the year doing lots of physical therapy. It was a lot of doctor appointments and MRIs. Luckily there appeared to be no tissue damage but the pain was there. I did basic exercises with my own body weight to get my joints used to moving again. Things got worse before they got better. I still could not sit for long without back pain, and my knees made stairs difficult.
The 2nd quarter, I noticed improvements and was able to exercise on the gym machines - but not yet with weights. Just trying to get the motions down. I also started using an app called bumble bff to meet new people and challenge my extreme social anxiety that crept back into my life. It was awkward but helpful.
3rd quarter, I was able to use the stair machine at the gym for a few minutes with no pain! Huge progress! I graduated to using free weights and came very close to doing my first pullup ever. I was able to go bouldering at a gym again, though very lightly. I found a few folks from bumble bff have stuck around. I started feeling more comfortable meeting new people.
4th quarter, I can use the stair machine for 10 mins at a time! I'm able to push myself with free weights. I can sit for hours with no back pain. I still can't jump without causing weeks of knee pain but I'm miles ahead of where I was last year. I'm capable of socializing again, still rusty but I've improved. I've gone to a meetup a few times. I've actually had moments of productivity come back into my life. The burnout of life has let up a little and I have moments of motivation, despite feeling so tired all the time.
I'm so proud of myself. I'm afraid I'll never be able to jump or run again, but I'll keep up with strength training and hope for the best. I feel like I've just barely crossed the threshold of being a person again. It's been so many years since I actually felt like I wanted to do anything. Honestly I still don't want to do things most of the time, even if they're "fun", but I've reached a point where I can see the potential of having interests again, feeling excitement for something, maybe even a passion project. I used to love doing so many things. Someday I'll feel those things again, and I look forward to that.
I think you've had a better year than me! Congrats on the improvements to your health and well-being, as well as getting out there and making friends! You may not be where you want to be, but you're making solid gains towards getting there, and that's absolutely something to be proud of!
I can definitely stand to do for my health. And social life, too. As I get older, the circle of friends seems to be shrinking always. And the social anxiety to have to put myself back out there often prevents me from doing so. But perhaps I'll look to you as a role model of sorts.
Either way, I hope 2026 goes even better for you than this year!
Nice idea :) I'll focus below on my mindset instead of hobbies and career.
I think a major shift this year for me occurred in my recognition of time. I suspect strongly it is related to my turning 30 next year. I don't necessarily see life in a way that many others describe as flying by, on the contrary I find the year goes quite slowly, but I have begun to have an increasing appreciation as to the shortness of life. Fortuitous, I suppose, even if it does seem a bit silly as I may have several decades left.
I have also definitely become less rigid and stubborn, particularly with the way I relate to others. I've managed to develop healthier ways of seeing others, I guess, and have learned recently to just chill out a bit more than I normally would.
And, perhaps the most recent change, I've also began to wind down massively how much I read the news, or, at least, "negative" news. I used to enjoy politics a lot, but, upon reflection, the toil of trying to engage in so many different stories throughout the world is significant. Why shouldn't I instead simply focus on the community around me, as that's where I spend my time.
I'm 9yrs older than you. In my early 30s, I think time was still slow enough. Not as slow as like in my 20s, but I was still transitioning to a mostly-fully-functioning, not-a-complete-idiot adult, so there was still a lot of new experiences and still coming in to my own. But I feel like in the last ~5yrs, it's just breezed by. That's not to say I've stopped developing and learning and experiencing; I think that continues til we die. But the experiences aren't as novel anymore, so the days just speed by and blur together. Either way, enjoy it! To me, people in their 20s are real young adults, while those in their 30s are young real adults. We know how things are, we understand ourselves more, we have more confidence, etc.. And because of all that, I think our 30s can be a lot more enjoyable than our 20s.
And I'm definitely with you on news. I had to turn off and "BREAKING NEWS" push-notifications and email alerts a few months ago because it was really getting to me. Every time I picked up my phone or even just checked me inbox, I felt like I was getting assaulted. But since then, since I choose when I went to look at the news, it's a lot better. I still try to keep up, but if there are days where I'm not feeling it, then I'll just be ignorantly bliss all day.
I think this holds true. I'm now into my early 40's and I've been thinking a lot about death recently. Seeing my parents age pretty dramatically in their 70's now and watching as their health issues are beginning to get worse. Couple that with seeing my Sister-In-Law die from Cancer last year at age 54, I've just been thinking a lot about how this won't last; my friends don't take care of themselves and are likely to die before me and then eventually I'll be there myself. Probably within the next 10-years my parents will die and then I may see my older sibling die and my siblings-in-law, who I'm close to.
Couple this with a close friend of mine recently developing some serious health complications and I just can't help but have death on my mind constantly. Often, I'm lying in bed at night and the existential dread just comes over me and I'm aware that death will be much like a school project I'd been putting off because it was due in a month and I had "plenty of time.", but still waited until the night before to start it...
Thank you for the response to this, I think this is a nice way to put it:
I believe some research came out earlier on this year stating that our brain's adolescent phase actually goes on until 32, so this would align well with that.
This year has been...I don't know. It's been a year of anxiety for me, not only because of obvious reasons, but just because my anxiety in general has been getting back to me. I had it under control for many years, even weening myself off medication back around 2020. But last year I had a lot of it and I didn't really recognize that it was my "normal" anxiety returning.
This year it came to a head and I was non-functional for awhile, culimating in a panic attack at the dentist just prior to a procedure as they were prepping me. I realized then I needed to get back on meds. I changed from my previous medication to see if there was anything that wouldn't give me the side effects that frustrated me prior, but unfortunately the new medication has extremely frustrating side effects and only just today, after a couple months of being on it, have I decided I'm going to ween myself back off and switch to my old meds.
I've also been finding my interest in my hobby of tabletop wargaming waning a bit. At this point in my life, I've painted hundreds of models and I'm finding myself now lacking in motivation to really do it much more. I actually have a good amount to finish before February, but simply lacking the motivation to do so. I feel that I've been extremely lazy.
But also this has been the year where both my kids have been in school full time, which has been a change for me as a stay at home parent for the past 7 years. It's been good, I've been getting things done around the house quite a bit, little projects and things which have been good for me to work on. However, I'm also finding my brain has shifted away from a lot of the "homemaker" stuff and I'm beginning to find myself more engaged with random stuff around the house, rather than being consistent about the chores I used to do, which have fallen by the wayside quite a bit. I'm pretty sure this annoys the hell out of my wife. What it probably is is that since I'm moving around the house less with the kids, I don't notice the things that need to be addressed and I'm not necessarily looking for things to do as the kids play or what have you.
I have made some major strides, however. I've been rebuilding an engine in my project car for 6 years now and it finally made it back in to the vehicle in May; it still doesn't run yet, I have more to go, but it feels like a pretty major achievement, even if I haven't really worked too much on it since September. But I do feel like this year that I've really become very confident in my automotive repair skills, having tackled some other projects on my other cars that I had been putting off for fear of being overwhelmed.
This year has been a weird one. I feel a little unsettled, listless and still a bit anxious. I'm hoping 2026 is better and I'm going to start more seriously looking for a job; hoping I can find something that really fits my life and brings in enough money to help with our bills.
Pretty busy year for me to be honest:
Completed gutted and renovated my conditioned attic space starting in June(?). I tore out all the old wooden paneling and insulation, and replaced it with mineral wool insulation, drywall, and carpet. Also learned how to do the electricity in my home and was able to do what was needed for the attic, as well as rewired some of my rooms just this past month. So big win for me there just learning some sort of practical skill that saved me some money.
My wife is pregnant and expected in June 2026, so that is exciting. We are having a boy. So basically everything for the next six months will be focused on getting the home ready, including full gut remodel of my kitchen and new fencing for the dog. Lot of shuffling the home around.
Work has been okay. I still have to write my yearly performance review this week, but my boss has signaled to me that I will be getting a high rating, so nice bonus coming up. They gave me a nice bonus last year, and a retention bonus. But I won't lie, I'm in the midst of a major project since August and it isn't going how I expect it to have been going. Too many personalities, leadership changes which causes interfering, my company being terrible to work with for consultants, and my company choosing consultants badly. Lots of just sitting on meetings and blanking out because there are 20 people invited to the thing, and it least 2-3 suck all the oxygen out of the room making it impossible to make progress.
Switching notes, I was successful in growing some tomatoes for the first time. However, the deer in my area absolutely decimated my garden. I'm thinking of going full hydroponic in my basement moving forward.
Here's to another year though! Hopefully it doesn't all go to shit.
We're probably in different jurisdictions with different code requirements, but at a high level, how did you go about learning to do your own electrical?
I have a general understanding of how electricity works, and can do basic fixes care of youtube university, but I've had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to really dig into learning about residential electricity so I can gain the confidence to pull permits and do bigger fixes myself (allowed where I luve in canada).
Edit - on the note of deer and gardens. I've had success in the past (in a rural location where there was plenty of other foraging opportunities) with very simple 4-ft metal chicken wire + t-posts as enough of a deterrent for the deer to stay out. I also tied up long ribbons to the posts to try and keep them from jumping in; I can't confirmed it actually helped, but I had heard the movement can act as a deterrent and it certainly didn't do any harm. I don't think this system would work as-is if you're in a location where deer have few other foraging opporunities, but figured I'd share as an idea
So I am in the US and we follow NEC here so that is where my material is sourced around. I spent ~4-6 weeks learning the material whenever I had a moment to spare:
A video game called Wired on Steam. This is a free game built by someone at Cambridge. It is puzzles based on electrical concepts, so playing it as I was advancing my learning helped solidify context. Plus, it is a pretty fun game and has that corny professor vibes to it.
Interplay Learning/SkillMill - This is a learning system focused on the trades. I went through a lot of this material and paid the monthly subscription. If you have a VR headset, you can go through some examples using it which I thought was pretty nice.
up.codes - this is an LLM trained on various localities building codes that was extremely helpful in rubberducking and checking my logic. You should always fact check the LLMs though.
Black and Decker ebook "The Complete Guide to Wiring" - just nice reading material
Brilliant - this is an app that has some exercises for electricity/circuits. Great duolingo-like learning medium.
Delmar Online Training Simulation Electriicty Wiring - this was a nice resource to go through simulations and troubleshooting scenarios.
There are things I won't do though. I won't do a panel or subpanel upgrades. I also am not touching anything that generates power and stores it/sends it back to the grid like solar, generators, or home battery backups. I kept my wiring as simple as possible. For example, instead of 3-way switches I used switches that are remotes to other switches. This is allowed in code, but kind of hacky. I also have a basement so doing a hub and spoke approach to outlets on the first floor is very easy.
And thank you for the gardening tips) I may end up doing some fencing this upcoming year. I can't imagine that a hydroponic tomato tasting as good as one that has been baking in the sun on a hot day.
Edit: also re: permitting. I pulled permits for the entire project to renovate my upstairs. It consisted of 16 receptacles, 11 lights on three separate zones, and adding whole home smoke detectors. The guy looked at my stuff for maybe 5-10 minutes total and was a complete rip off. For several hundred dollars, I was expecting some feedback but I got the impression they didn't care one bit. I did not get permits for the remainder of the work I did since I am just taking old wire out and putting new wire in. I will get a permit for my kitchen remodel, but always weigh what you are comfortable doing
I gave a similar reply in the new years resolution thread, as I mostly reflected but it fits better here...
My very brief summary of 2025 was that it was pretty boring, a bit stagnant even!
In some ways, this was good and healthy for me: I needed to re-balance myself from the stress the year prior of buying and owning a house for the first time. On top of that, early-mid 2025 felt fairly stressful between everything going on in the world + a work project that ate all my energy for a while. So, my personal time ended up being a whole lot of doing nothing and unwinding.
I had some small wins, though: adopted an awesome cat; helped support my partner make huge strides toward a goal, which should be a big win for them (and so both of us) in the long run; had some small successes in terms of home repairs that helped me learn new skills.
On the flip-side, the closer I got to the end of the year, the more I started feeling like I wanted to do more activities for myself. I've started trying to socialize a tiny bit. I attended a couple community volunteer events that aligned with my interests, and put out feelers to take part in more this coming year. I'm also looking for opportunities to be more active and spend time outdoors. Big questions remain about how much my current job will suck up my time/energy in 2026, and whether I should consider either a different job or entire career change. But, for a couple practical reasons, I'm hoping to suck it up and hold off on any major work changes until next year, so for now I'm still in thinking-about-it mode.