Mental wellbeing matters more than ever and I’m sitting here on my couch in Austin on December 28, 2025, wearing the same hoodie I’ve had on since Christmas, eating dry cereal straight from the box because bowls feel like effort. The Christmas tree is still up but half the lights are burnt out and I haven’t fixed them because… why bother, you know?
I had this moment a week ago that just broke something open. Was at Target picking up random stuff—tp, shampoo, whatever—and I got to the parking lot and realized I’d forgotten my wallet inside. Not a big deal, right? Except I just… couldn’t go back in. Sat in my car with the heat blasting and cried for like fifteen minutes. Quiet crying at first, then the ugly kind where your whole face gets hot. A mom with two kids walked by and gave me that pity glance. Mortifying.
The Parking Lot Thing That Made Me Admit Mental Wellbeing Isn’t Optional
I’ve always been the “I’m fine” girl. Busy, sarcastic, good at faking it. But this year hit different. Work stress piled up, family stuff over the holidays got heavy, and my brain just started short-circuiting over tiny things. Couldn’t sleep, then slept too much. Ate like garbage, then hated myself for it. Classic spiral.
Mental wellbeing matters more than ever because we’re all pretending we’re okay when half of us are barely keeping the lights on—literally and figuratively. I’d scroll Instagram and see everyone’s perfect little holiday posts and feel like the only one falling apart. Turns out I’m not, but it felt like it.
The dumbest part: I tried to “fix” it by buying a $12 essential oil diffuser off Amazon. It arrived, I used it once, now it’s collecting dust next to the dead succulent I keep forgetting to throw away.
How Pretending Mental Wellbeing Was Fine Almost Did Me In
I kept telling myself everyone’s tired, everyone’s stressed, suck it up. But ignoring it just made everything louder. Random anxiety attacks in the middle of H-E-B. Crying in the shower because the hot water ran out. Snapping at my sister over text about nothing.
Mental wellbeing matters more than ever when you realize you’re not lazy or dramatic—you’re just burnt out and running on empty. I finally admitted it to my friend Sarah over FaceTime and she was like “girl same” and it felt… less lonely? Still sucked, but less like I was defective.
What’s Kinda Helping My Mental Wellbeing (Messy Edition)
No magic fixes here. Just stuff I’m half-ass trying:
- Going for short walks even when it’s chilly, just around the block blasting whatever playlist fits my mood.
- Actually saying out loud to someone “I’m not great today” instead of ghosting.
- Doing those 5-minute YouTube meditations when I can’t sleep—sometimes I fall asleep mid-breath, which counts I guess.
- Eating one vegetable a day. Baby steps.
I started talking to a therapist online too. First session I spent ten minutes apologizing for rambling. She said that’s normal. Felt weirdly nice.
Real talk resources: NAMI has solid info that doesn’t feel judgmental, and the free stuff on Calm or Insight Timer has been my 2 a.m. lifeline more than once.
Okay I’m Rambling But Yeah
Mental wellbeing matters more than ever and I’m still in the middle of figuring it out. Tree lights half dead, cereal for dinner, hoodie on day three. But I’m here. I texted a friend earlier instead of bottling it. That’s something.