To be completely honest I don’t even know where to start off this post. It’s been months since I blogged and it feels like I’m in an unfamiliar situation. Taking an unexpected break wasn’t planned: had a mental break down, took time off from work, got help, went back to work and now I’m enjoying the start of a week long vacation. Am I completely okay? Definitely not. But I’m ready to regain back a big part of my identity and that’s blogging. So hello, I’m back. Now let’s talk a bit about where I was and what’s my newly found obsession that takes up most of my free time.
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As I mentioned briefly I had a complete mental break down a few months back. I wouldn’t say it was anything as dramatic as they make it seem in the movies but it was enough so that I called my doctor, crying, and demanded a mental health sick leave. Spent three weeks doing absolutely nothing, got on meds and I’m slowly starting to get back to the swing of things.
When I decided to start blogging again I didn’t know if I’d share that but it feels right. It’s the continuation of a post I made a while back where I diagnosed myself and admitted I was depressed. Well now a doctor has done the same so I guess my self-diagnosis was correct. In a way it feels rewarding but it also makes me realise how hard it is to get help. In other words I was right and meds are great!
KDRAMA GALORE
If you guys have been following my Letterboxd you might have noticed a huge shift. I’ve spent the better part of the past few months with my new obsession – watching nothing else but kdramas. After the first three weeks I realised it’s the perfect distraction. Not only do I have to solely focus on the show due to subtitles but it’s also a completely different cultural environment. My obsession is part of my recovery.
Working in online media means I’m basically switched on 24/7. I know most about European news, Western news, and a whole lot about British media – it is all very grim. Kdramas are a nice escape because Asian culture is far from my everyday work life. So now I’ve immersed it into my personal life. It means I have a safe space I can escape to, a place where I don’t have stress triggers. Plus it’s quite entertaining.
Long story short I’m not obsessed with kdramas! It’s a whole new world and it’s incredibly addicting. There’s a huge variety of genres and it’s fun to discover new actors and see familiar faces. At this point I’ve seen almost 20 which is quite a lot considering most kdramas have 16 hour long episodes. Good thing though is that most dramas are just one season long.
While I do count all kdramas into one I wouldn’t say Squid Game and Kingdom fall into the same category. I feel like most associate kdramas with romance but these two are definitely not. First is probably well known to everyone now as it swept the world like a storm. The other is a historic zombie thriller which is also wonderful! I highly recommend both in case you haven’t seen them. And while I do tend to focus on romantic kdramas at the moment I have quite many thriller/action/horror ones in my list that I want to get to soon.
PICKS, GEMS & PLANS
By disappearing for a few months I completely neglected the only things that had kept the blog going in the past two years: Thursday Movie Picks and Hidden Gems. While there’s no way I’d be able to pick up Hidden Gems and get back on track with that I did think of doing a massive Thursday Movie Picks post.
When it comes to blogging itself I feel like I want to get back to basics. I missed blogging a lot and not just while I was completely away. I haven’t had the same energy to blog in years. Maybe it’s because I write for work now, it makes blogging feel like a job and sucks all the joy out of it. And yet, I know deep down that I do really love writing and blogging. That being said I have thought about just winging it.
Not sure what exactly will come of it but hey, I’m having a go at it. I know I’ve said that before and I will probably say that again and again but that’s just how it is. Of course starting fresh means a new theme! Feeling rather good about this one at the moment so let’s just keep it as it is for now.
So to conclude my very strange comeback Commercial Break: I’m back, there’s going to be some changes but I’m not sure what exactly, and I’m now obsessed with kdramas.
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I’m glad you’re back and feeling better! Depression is a motherf*cker. Sending lots of love your way!
Thank you!💜
Having experienced depression more than a decade ago where I just didn’t want to do anything. A break is something needed as I’m glad you took a break and you’re doing fine. That is something I hope to never go through ever again.