Dengroovyjente - Den Groovy Jente

Friends (1994–2004)

"It was funny trying to figure out in this futuristic space talk, like, how do they flirt? What does that look like for a space warrior and the young duke of a planet? How do they show that they like each other? What does that even sound like? We were definitely trying to navigate that, which was funny because all of us were stumped. I think it’s just as foreign to us as it probably is to the characters.”

“Awkward and uncomfortable—there’s all those things.”

“I was like, Does Chani get awkward? Does that happen to her? Does she know what that feels like?”

--Zendaya, on Chani Kynes in Dune: Part 2 (2023)

Ok so what if instead of all this "it's okay if you didn't accomplish anything in 2024" thing, what if we try a "you know what, actually, you should do better in 2025" thing?

Because at a certain point we are gonna have to give up this it's-okay-to-not-be-okay mentality and actually be okay and actually do things with ourselves and actually get out of our comfort zone (that is anything but comfortable).

You can't stay in survivor mode forever, you can't heal your inner child forever; at a certain point you're gonna have to move on to the grown up world and start living. Why not now?

Social media does a lot of babysitting of emotions and around this time of the year you'll see an awful lot of people claiming that the people who are celebrating their accomplishments are "curating" their lives or even that they're faking it. And, I mean, of course most people prefer to present their highest points instead of their lowest, but let me tell you something little star: if you need to convince yourself that anybody who seems happy and proud of themselves online is faking it or exaggerating it, you have a problem.

Because actually, actually, it's not a sign of a healthy mind to feel bad that others are doing something good with their lives. If you have to turn away when you see people doing their "2024 wrapped" posts and whatnot, you're not actually a person who's healing, you're a person who's envious and insecure. And that's not okay to accept without consequence.

If you really feel like you haven't done anything with your 2024, then you're either not giving yourself enough credit (meaning you actually accomplished a lot but don't see these accomplishments as noteworthy), or you actually haven't done anything other than sit around and look at a screen all day deceiving yourself that it's okay to not be okay forever. And none of these options are signs of a healthy mindset.

And when I talk about accomplishments, I don't mean the big things. I don't mean getting a lot of money or promotions, or getting married or getting a baby, or losing a ton of weight and getting a glow up. I'm talking about things like being happy and healthy and learning new skills and going places and having fun. And if you really, really haven't done anything, big or small, in your entire year, then baby, it's actually not okay. A year is a long time to do nothing at all.

So maybe use this time of year to get inspired by people you see who have accomplished a lot or a little, instead of ignoring it all as "fake social media status". Maybe reassess the way you look at your own accomplishments. Maybe reorganize your life so that by December of 2025 you won't be throwing a self-pity party anymore.

Get inspired and get your shit together, little star. 💫

Anime isn't lame, right?

HEAT HEAT HEAT HEAT

Chilean artist Carolina Landea