A Year of Re-Editing My Life.

A year of re-editing my life.

Naming the truth

Last year, at twenty-two, I chose to re-edit my life. I’d been hiding in the dark; adulthood was the light I kept avoiding. People thought I was mad to rewind, but unspooling the tape was the only way to see what I’d masked under a façade.

I’d been playing a part — a touch of Marilyn’s blonde charm, quick wit on cue. This time, I refused to be undone by my demons. Pen and paper became my best accessory. I swapped the script for a biography: thoughts, feelings, ideas in black and white — impossible to ignore.

The audit

I kept it simple: three pages, three pillars — health, relationships, career.
What works. What doesn’t. What I can do this week. One page per area. No drama, just honesty.

Health, first

I had energy for no one, least of all myself. I rebuilt gently: real meals with protein and fibre, water on schedule, a bedtime that didn’t drift. Then movement — short, frequent sessions. Classes with my mum, a gym-class veteran. A neat rotation: strength, conditioning, mobility. No makeover montage — just consistency. Slowly, my sleep steadied, my energy rose, and my body felt like mine again.

Circles that matter

I traded background noise for presence: dinner-table love affairs, dog-walk socials. Less “what’s the best restaurant?”, more the best company. The spectacle wasn’t the point — the people were. I even paired life admin with connection: a food-shop stroll, a lunch-hour catch-up, little intermissions that turned the mundane into something shared.

Career, unscripted

Work once felt like a trap: job or freedom, either/or. Naming my values changed the frame. Curiosity became a compass; possibility, a practice. I didn’t change everything at once. I changed what I noticed — then what I did next.

The edit list;

An audit means nothing without action, so I set simple rules.

Weekly rule: Small steps, daily. Fifteen minutes still counts.

Health: three balanced meals, one snack, movement everyday, lights out 22:30.

Relationships: two check-ins, one plan kept (not cancelled), one uninterrupted dinner.

Career: one hour research, one learning and one next action defined.

Nothing fancy — just visible, doable actions. Structure removed the need to renegotiate with myself every day. The saved energy went to what mattered.

weapons of choice

Facing issues has become almost obsolete thanks to my latest accessory. Wherever I go, I carry a journal. It’s saved me from countless conflicts — both socially and mentally. A fleeting thought now has somewhere to land and plans are etched in place. On the page, I can say everything I never quite manage out loud; it’s where I untangle the noise, edit the story, and decide what happens next.

What changed

It wasn’t cinematic. It was incremental. Clothes fit better. Mornings felt lighter. I stopped shrinking from mirrors and plans. I had more to give the people I love because I wasn’t running on fumes. Most importantly, I trusted myself again — earned by small promises kept, repeatedly.

Setbacks came: sideways weeks, skipped classes, avoided conversations. The difference was my response. I didn’t spiral; I adjusted. I asked, What broke? Then I patched the simplest hole: earlier sleep, a proper lunch, a walk between calls, a message sent instead of delayed. The next day wasn’t perfect — just better. Better is the point.

What I’d tell the me from a year ago?

Start where your feet are — you don’t need a five-year plan to take a 20-minute walk.
Be honest and specific: “I’m tired” becomes “I’m sleeping five hours.” Then fix it.
Choose one lever per area. Not ten. One. Pull it for a month.
Don’t rename avoidance as perfectionism. Shipping small beats planning grand.
Let people help. Pride is expensive; support is efficient.

The edit continues.