Finding Peace in the Projects and Being Proactive About Plans

I recently turned a corner with my mood and healing. It is May now, and this time of year I usually feel more upbeat. Still, I do not want to place all the credit — or blame — on the weather, even though I do believe it has a huge influence, especially when living up North. Around this time there, things start to feel hopeful again. The days become sunnier, summer gets closer, and life feels lighter. Now that I live in the Sunshine State, I sometimes wonder if my body still remembers all of its Northern patterns. On top of that, my birthday is in June, so this season has always felt a bit like my time to shine.

If weather patterns are part of the reason for these good moods and healing vibes, then great. But lately, I have been trying to rewrite the narrative in my head and focus more on the choices I have been making that help me handle life in healthier ways.

A good neighbor and friend once told me she found “peace in her projects” when I asked her how she let go of a past version of herself. During February and March this year, I experienced a bit of a hiccup in my life, and I was desperately trying to figure out how to get back on track. Later, I realized that “finding peace in the projects” was exactly the advice I needed to hear.

Organizing my unpublished poems into a second book became an outlet for my energy, focus, and creativity. I have always been more of a feelings person than a logic person, and lately I have been working on balancing the two. Instead of waiting to feel a certain way before doing something, I have been trying to redirect that energy and ask myself: What needs to be done to make sure I am a healthy and functioning human?

At first, that mindset felt foreign to me. But the more I practice it, the easier and more natural it becomes.

Working on my second poetry book has given me something meaningful outside of work — something rooted in creativity and passion again. It reminded me that healing does not always come from grand breakthroughs. Sometimes it comes quietly through consistency, purpose, and creating.

I have also started being more proactive about plans. A former colleague and dear friend once told me it is important to always have something to look forward to. She recommended making plans for the next get-together while you are already with your friends so it actually happens. Another close friend and neighbor mentioned how having future plans you are excited about can improve your mental health — and we know I am always trying to add more tools to the toolkit.

Finally, I have really been trying to practice taking things less personally and creating distance when needed. As a sensitive person, I can sometimes view everything as either a threat or a glimmer, and that kind of thinking is incredibly black and white. The truth is, not everything is about me, and most people are probably not thinking about me nearly as much as I think they are.

And if someone does do something that affects me negatively, I am learning to view it as an opportunity to grow. Maybe it means I need to communicate more clearly, find common ground, let things be, or create distance for the sake of peace. Whatever the situation may be, I am learning that I need to become my own biggest fan.

I am tired of people-pleasing and putting others on pedestals. It is a complicated balance because loving and helping others matters deeply to me. But I am finally understanding that before you pour endlessly into everyone else, you have to love yourself first — boundaries and all.