2016 Wrap Up + Year In Pictures

It's always interesting to look back on the prior year as it comes to an end, and see all of the milestones and changes that you experienced. I wrote about the previous year and all my hopes for 2016 in the two posts below.

+ Goodbye 2015, You Saved My Life
+ 2016: The Year of Gain

When 2015 ended, I couldn't wait to begin the new year. I had a pretty rough year, but was experiencing relief from depression and anxiety, and figured 2016 would be a lot more smooth sailing.

Wrong.

2016 became anything but. I experienced something the health books said was total burnout of my hormones and important chemicals in my adrenal systems like serotonin and dopamine. (Doctors couldn't really explain it and wouldn't take me seriously.) I battled the symptoms of severe headaches, dizziness, muscle jitters all over my body, panic attacks, choking sensations, chest tightness, and constantly feeling like the floor was bouncing. Normally, some of this would be the case with just a major anxiety disorder, which I have, but this was much more than that.

It took me months to figure it out. Months of research and trying what doctors said (none of it worked). Then one day, I found what worked for me, and began a treatment of the holistic kind. Herbal supplements that help reset the balance of serotonin, dopamine, and send relaxation to my system. With that new balance, came my workout routine. With my workout routine comes better overall health.

Grief is real. You can destroy your body by getting too sad, and it can be very scary. At some point, you have to do a total overhaul of your health in order to treat and cure your problems. I'm in the middle of this overhaul, and I look forward to positive results.

2016 taught me that without work, we can expect not to succeed. It also reminded me that sometimes you can't do it by yourself, and it's ok if you need to take medicine, see doctors, and admit that you have destroyed your health. It's also completely ok to forgive yourself for your mistakes, and work to correct them.

My garden also struggled hard this year in the wake of our early scorching heat waves, but I learned a lot in struggling to get the garden to produce and stay alive, and still found a lot of beauty on my patio. It seems the garden tried to mirror my personal life. Sneaky plants.

Here are some highlights of my year:

• I dyed my hair strawberry blond.
• I chopped over 12 inches off my hair. 
• Spontaneous running through the sprinklers at the local park with my husband.
• I attended several garden and urban farm tours.
• I grew mini cantaloupes on my patio.
• I got a pass to our local gym and began going a few times every week. 
• I learned to cook eggs over medium (my favorite eggs!)
• We found Kevin (our fluffy orange foster cat) a good home.
• I started online classes in a field I'm still keeping secret. (When I announce big plans, the universe tries to thwart them, so... it's a secret.)
• I discovered that, with the right supplements, I could feel mostly normal again and begin a pathway to health. 

My 2016 in Pictures

I look forward to continuous healing, and a new garden year in 2017. I don't know what's coming this year, but I hope for good things, and will do my best to weather the storms. That's my prayer for all of us.

Happy New Year!

++ How was your 2016? 

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