What have you done throughout this year?

It's been a rather productive year so far:
I did a lot of cross stitching.
Went vegan.
Dabbled into gardening (my partner did most of the work sadly but I'm more interested now than I was before!).
Got into birdwatching so I started exploring nature with a much more different perspective.
Set up a bird feeding station that got really popular among the birds AND the neighbours.
Learned how to crochet.
A combination of the aforementioned things somehow taught me how to manage my depression and anxiety better. I'm in a much better spot now than when I was mostly playing video games.
- Your ladybug stitch that you posted looks really fantastic!
  
  Thanks, it was meant to be a birthday present for my partner and I did it in secret. Really fun project!

Got a job that doesn’t suck and has allowed me to grow as a person. I do wish it’d pay more, but I no longer dread life and actually get excited to go in to the office.
- Congratulations!
- That is worth waaaay more than a great pay for a shitty job. Congrats!
  
  Oh believe me, I’m well aware. I’m very lucky to have found something I love.

Had a little breakdown, quit a job I hated, started a business, got married. It's been a wild ride
- U good now?

Fucked up.
Been short on sleep.
Probably related, now I think about it.

Work, eat, shit, sleep

Played a million games, pursued all other hobbies, travelled, enjoyed time with my wife, visited hundreds of cultural sites and heavily ranted about inflation, shrinklation and the general shittification of all and everything. T'was a good year 😉

Well, I spend the first half of the year with depression so bad I rarely left my bed and basically didn't work for 6 months straight. I've spent the second half of the year finally on working depression meds again and spending every spare cent on mortgage repayments so I can keep my house. Those should be finishing up early next year so next year is going to be my year because if anything this has taught me how to survive on very little money so I will feel positively rich compared to before.
So this year was a bust but I'm going to get so much shit done next year. I'm thinking my house (which currently looks like a crackhouse) is due for a whole lot of remoddling next year.
- Good for you for working on your depression!
  
  Thank you. It wasn't much I did though. I just spun the wheel of pharmacology a few times and finally got it to land on the right med. The only reason it got so bad this time was because it took a few more spins than usual to hit the right one. So far that was the unluckiest I've ever been in that regard.
  
  yeah. even with crippling depression, they are managing to create their own strength to fight and do stuff.
  also, i think it's wiser and smarter to focus on one important thing now, than getting anxious about not doing 173927 things, trying to do them and failing, and feeling even worse. (anyway, healthy people can't do many things either, but they don't feel so guilty/worthless, those are more depression symptoms).
  also, we are talking about depression, which is downplayed and misunderstood most of the time. aboulia, anhedonia, apathy and avolition are horrible yet invisible symptoms. someday science will be able to measure them and show people how disabling they are, and realize the amazing merit of people unadvertly fighting them everyday.
  because the lemmitor is fighting against it, and sharing it with us. that is so nice. i think things will get better for them. even if they may think it's not much, many of us know it's a lot, bc we know how depression works. the 'achievement curve' may look slow or plane for now to them, but we know it's not: it's going higher every day it passes.
  so keep on, pal! 💪

Been a decent year for my bucket list! I managed to tick off:
get married
go to Eurovision
go on a cruise
Also started work on my first "real" video game, been learning how to make them as a hobby since 2020. Releasing that sometime next year will be another thing ticked off the list!
We have had a lot of crap stuff happen as well though (health stuff and whatnot) and it's just generally been a very stressful and disrupted year so I'll be glad to see the back of it despite all the good that happened.
- Lucky you going to Eurovision, how did you feel about Sweden getting the win? I know Finland was the fan favourite, and I read that apparently the crowd made that clear on the night
  
  We didn't get tickets for the actual live final, so had a party house rented a short drive out of Liverpool along with some friends for the Saturday night. Can confirm even the ones that started the night thinking they didn't care about Eurovision were shocked by the end!
  Loreen is a legend but that song was just not great. So many others deserved it over her and it's a bit depressing that the jury members chosen have such consistently bland tastes every year.
  But also, like, it's a song contest. I may be obsessed, I may have an ever-growing group of US friends I've introduced to the spectacle, I may learn all the words to songs in languages I don't understand and I may have sewn myself a special flag dress for Liverpool. But it's a song contest, I'm not actually furious about it like some people were 😅
- What’s the game you’re working on?
  
  It's just a really simple hex-based city builder. Very minimal, barely even a game really. Suitable first project for a solo dev I'm hoping!
  (If you're on Mastodon I post, among other things, updates on it here)

Worked over the summer, then after I got a 4 season canvas tent and have been staying in it past few months learning the ins and outs of offgrid life. Put my Electrical degree to use by building up a small solar system. Learned a hell of a lot about keeping yourself warm.
Currently is been raining kind of hard and the ground isn't absorbing water well since its cold so water has been seeping into the floor of my tent, obviously that's not great so m current focus is on getting a platform built for the tent to go up on.
After that I want to get a wood stove since heating with propane cost a little bit compared to finding free woof to burn, but I am worried that the smoke and smell would draw too much attention. May have to just live with propane until I get my own property that isnt fucked by an HOA but I REALLY want a wood stove just cause I think its rad as hell and our neighbors have a bonfire all the time so what's the difference really. Maybe I'm worried over nothing and nobody would care really.
My sibling burned their life down with some stupid bs and their kids ended up in the system so I've been kind of stuck helping my elderly parents through the foster/adoption process since may. Its been a massive headache and I didn't get to go camping like I wanted to but sometimes doing the right thing means making sacrifices to your own self interest. Hopefully well have them by Christmas and I have enough cash left by spring to go camping before job hunting.

A lot of latin dance. Tons of lessons, workshops, and social dancing. I recommend it :)
- That sounds so fun! I've had dancing on my list for ages but sadly can't find any groups doing anything around here. One day!
  
  Definitely do it! It got mr making friends and getting out more.

Read 36 books and counting

got ritalin and im actually good at my job now

Switched industries (not jobs) and challenged myself. So far it’s given me more time with my family, hobbies, and more pay.

Sleep, shit, Puter, School

Got a massive raise, switched to the four-day work week because I can afford it now, went to the cinema almost every week and watched a shit-ton of great movies. I even attended a marathon with all Harry Potter movies back to back and slept in the cinema.
No regrets.

Made a new friend, got diagnosis and treatment for ADHD, learned to use a sewing machine, got into American Girl dolls and doll photography, had some guests over at my house, got further into climate activism.

Started playing the drums. Realized we are gonna buy a home next year and probably start a family which is nuts. Started playing eve online

Tortured my chair by sitting on it for long hours with my fatass and farting periodically.

Graduated university, moved back home, started looking for a job and that's been a majority of my year. Oh, and I finally beat a bunch of games that have been on my list so I got that going on for me which is nice.

I took voice lessons.
I made a react app for my job.
Idk that's about it.

Stuff, other stuff, daily stuff.

joined lemmy, left reddit. Pretty much it, heh

Grew a Pokémon GO community, became a Pokémon GO community ambassador, quit my job, struggled with unemployment and having no work available in my field locally, and seemingly no one but super shady people willing to hire remotely anymore.