Really distressing that this decade is over, as it contained the last two good years of my life. Everything has gone downhill for me since 2012; looking back, however, 2012-2015 seems great compared to now. 2010 was just awesome, but I was only 8 then. 2011 was nice, too. I was a much happier and more pleasant person back then... I have no idea what happened to me.
It was mostly an extremely uneventful (and depressing when it was eventful) decade, despite being my first fully lived one. As I venture towards adulthood and the world ventures into the 2020s, I hope to make some changes, but I still am finding myself struggling to overcome poor habits.
I started the decade as an adult and ended as an even older adult, so I haven't undergone most of the personal changes that many of you have. But still, a lot of things happened in this decade, a few of them good, many of them not so good.
Starting with the good, practically all 4 of my nephews and my niece were born in this decade. I say practically because I first became an aunt on November 23, 2009. So not quite this decade, but close enough. I also adopted my current dog in the latter half of the decade.
Overall, I have to say that I'm glad this decade is over, though. I lost a lot during the past 10 years. I found out I couldn't have children. I lost my wonderful pug who had been my loving companion for 16 years. I changed jobs a couple of times within the company I work for, but every time I thought I'd found something that would make me happy, something came along to ruin it. My dysfunctional family and I reached a turning point where I refused to lie and go along with something they did that went against one of my most closely-held values. That caused a rift that I don't know will ever be repaired.
The worst year was definitely 2016 when I lost my beloved pug the day before my 10 year wedding anniversary. The bad things just sort of started to pile on after that and I can't say I've had a good year since then.
I'm trying to enter this year and this decade with a more positive view, though. If I stay strong and work at it hard enough, maybe I can make this a better decade than the last one.
I noticed my life was going downhill sometime in 2014. Every year during the 2010s has been stressful, to say the very least. 2010 started on a down note, 2011 was better, 2012 was the best year, 2013 was also great. Then 2014 was unremarkable, and 2015 was where it started to get really bad. I became more anxious and irritable because of my mental health issues. 2018 was easily the worst year for me in that decade.
I don't really remember the start of the decade that much. Knowing where I was I would say it started 'fine', got massively crappy very quickly around 2013/14 where pretty much everything fell apart for me and has done nothing but get better and better ever since to the point I'm in a position that I remember seeming unattainable even during good times.
The significant downfall of 2013/14 would have been:
- My long term partner of 7 years[TL: DR version] splitting with me, the circumstances of why only making it worse.
- Within a month of that losing my job and becoming long term unemployed (2/3 years) as I just couldn't get anything despite efforts, ending up on peanuts worth of income via unemployment office.
- My music aspirations died (the thing I put so much time and effort into) as my band (that was going very well) fell apart and anything else I tried to do failed massively.
- I say friendships started to crumble but I realise now it was probably massive depression making me close everybody out.
- Ultimately I was locked up in my old room at my parents with no way to travel and see people or do things with a total lack of money rarely seeing the few friends I had, just sat replaying whatever crappy games I could get for less than ?5.
Since about 2016/17
- I got a part time job where I moved up in the company over 2 years and eventually left to become my own boss, which is going well.
- Music stuff has been happening again after quite a few people thought it was essentially a crime I wasn't doing it anymore and made me do it.
- Became close friends with a new group of people (plus my existing best friend) who I absolutely love.
- I drive now, so not only am I not housebound but I've been able to travel places I never thought I would since I thought owning a vehicle was just something I would never be able to afford.
- After 5 years of being single (by choice. Wanted to wait until I was "happy with myself") I started seeing somebody who I've been with for around 9/10 months now and engaged to (that sort of commitment being something I never thought I would do).
- Moved out with my best friend and my partner, currently planning to save for a mortgage deposit.
2010's probably had some of my worst times, but it ended with some of the best. I don't typically see new years/decades as something significant as ultimately its just another day, but I hope the next decade at least follows on from the last.
I was 10 when the decade started (2010) and now i'm 21. Time flies, younger me couldn't even imagine turning 21.
Some of my highs and lows of the decade:
- Towards the end of the decade, (2019) I started eating more healthily and i'm pleasantly surprised with the amount of weight i've lost!
-I became a pescatarian (something 10 year old me thought she'd never be able to do)
- I got into university last year! it was a future that also seemed so far away to me, and definitely not what I originally had in mind to study but so far i'm doing really well grades wise.
- I fell well and truly in love for the first time, in 2017. Although it didn't end well, I'll forever remember them as the person
who really changed my perspective on relationships, and someone who I genuinely felt so much love for and could call my bestfriend.
-I cut my hair into a short bob!! (and i loved it)
-I got my nose pierced, which was something I wanted so desperately from when I was a child.
-I struggled to make friends when I was a kid, and now i'm ending the decade with several.
-I'm way more confident now, and lil less awkward. Still awkward, but a lil bit more confident.
Lows:
- My mother fell ill again last December (2019) but she seems to be recovering.
- I went to a nightclub and I realised I absolutely hated the experience of a nightclub overall lmao.
I think overall for me, the decade was a period of self discovery for me. I learnt a lot about myself as a person, and i'm pretty content.
