2026 - LET'S START OVER

What needs to change, how I achieve them and my 2025 faves lol

I’m writing this blog post at 2 am because I’m unable to sleep.

I am currently fueled by anxiety, which is keeping me awake. Tomorrow is when people return to work... the emails, contracts, phone calls, meetings- all flooding in at once. I already feel so behind, somehow. Things need to change.

2025 was very very hard, I won’t lie. I witnessed my worst year of burnout. Very minimal sleep, neglecting my diet and movement, no active resting, stopped drawing for myself, neglected my health and did not manage my stress. It resulted in a lot of my hair falling out and feeling nauseous often, and overall feeling very sad.

I’m trying to make 2026 better. My main goals are: not to burn out, to take care of my brain, cry less, draw more and go outside.

I also made this 2026 bingo card as a way to relax my brain. I saw a lot of people making their own, and it looked fun.

If you would like to print out my bingo card or a blank version, follow this link.

It’s all well and good to make a cute bingo card. Still, I do have real-life changes that I am going to implement:

• Sleep more (not doing great)

• Sunday evening reset: make my weekly to do lists, schedule send emails for Monday morning so I can take a slower morning, be in bed by 10 PM

• Schedule free time (alone + with friends): if I don’t see it in the calendar, I won’t make time for it.

• Go outside everyday

• Warm up before work: at least 10 minutes of fun sketchbook time before I do any work

Despite what happened in 2025, I look back on a lot of moments fondly. I got to visit the Philippines, I had my first solo exhibition, l received lots of sweet fan art and gifts from kids who attend my workshops, I attended my first wedding, I make a lot of crafts, I form stronger friendship bonds, lot’s of stuff! (I’m trying not to end on such a sour note, I am very grateful too!)

Anyway, here’s to a regulated nervous system in 2026. Cheers🥂

MY 2025 ROUND-UP (FAVOURITES IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

Reads:

Novels (I only read 6)

• I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpmen

• Poor - Katriona O’Sullivan

Comics

• Ginseng Roots - Craig Thompson

• Cannon - Lee Lai

Short Comics

• Electric Cowboy - Ansel Kite

• Dead Horses - Freda JN

Albums:

2025 Release

• Bleeds - Wednesday

• Euro-Country - CMAT

• Moisturizer - Wet Leg

• Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party - Hayley Williams

General

• Heavy Metal - Cameron Winter

• Girlfriends - Girlfriends

Songs:

New Computers - Girlfriends, Wound Up Here (By Holdin On) - Wednesday, Simplicity is Beautiful - Juliana Hatfield, Take My Head - Turnover

Gigs: (I attended 7)

HUGE year for bands I listened to as a teenager but Touche Amore and Basement take the cake.