Is January always this exhausting?

Spoiler: Probably not.

Dear Reader,

Wherever this finds you, I hope you're well! And that definition of well can be whatever you want it to be - for many folks right now, that means just surviving until the next day.

I have started and stopped my first post of the year so often that I was just going to trash it all together but that felt like I was giving in to all that’s going on and letting the fact that the world is on fire around us (literally and metaphorically) win. I didn’t even have the energy to come up with my usual outlook of resolutions for 2025 (and whew the guilt I feel even though it’s not like it’s too late?) so I’m just focusing on doing more for me, whatever that looks like.

I do still see writing as a form of escape, and I’m not going to get to into the politics here, but I’m also of the mind that any content created these days is political. Even reading is! And I want to ensure all my readers that this is a LGBTQ2S+ safe space, and always will be.

I’ve read 9 books already this year but that’s not entirely a flex.

I’ve already told you a few times that reading is my favourite form of escapism so it’s no wonder I’ve been burying myself in fictional worlds (okay and some non-fiction, but you get what I mean). I work in social media for my 9-5, and while I have a heck of a lot of privilege elsewhere, I don’t have the option to shut down profiles or go offline. And you KNOW I curate my own feeds, but it’s a totally different story when I’m on the work accounts. It’s a lot.

So when 5 pm hits, I’ve been burying my nose in books instead. I’ve been trying to write too, creatively I mean, but that’s been a bit of a struggle. Usually, I have a new wave of creative motivation in a new year but this month has just been so grim, it’s taking a while to build.

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And I know it’s not just me.

Talking with friends at work, online, anywhere and it’s the same feeling everywhere: we’re tired. It feels like we’ve worked half a year already and we’re not even done the first month! And this is across a few different jobs too, it’s hitting us. I say us as a broad term, but it’s mostly women I’ve been talking to.

I don’t have a solution, I don’t think many of us do yet. I know that there’s a fine line between awareness and spiraling in hyper-focus, rest and recluse, ignoring and ignorance.

I do think it’s important to be gentle with ourselves, keep your space safe (whether that be offline or online) and have zero tolerance for those who don’t echo the same views. You can agree to disagree on where to have coffee, but you don’t have to when it comes to things that are important to you.

I’ll be honest folks, I don’t know if there’s a point to this one, and there isn’t much to leave you with. But sometimes writing is the point.

Until next chapter,

PS - if you reply to this email (or any) I can email you back! Just in case you want to chat :)

Scrolled to the bottom? Relatable. Here’s some fun stuff for ya:

📚 What I’m reading: I’m juggling a few but what I really need to focus on is Onyx Storm, IYKYK.

🎶 What I’m listening to: I’ve been listening to audiobooks more than music, but have been listening to this playlist a lot as I read:

📆 What’s up next for me: I have no idea, but the first Brianne’s Bookworms book club pick has been shared!