6 Months Down The Line

2020 was odd and 2020 was difficult. Job hunting during a global pandemic was not the ideal situation to find myself in, but hey-ho, it was the hand I was dealt. During the process I learned a lot about myself and how to be the candidate a company wants. Biggest thing I learned was that I can be hella awkward in interviews. Especially over zoom. Especially when conducted in a tiny office during a heat wave.

But that is all behind me. (Provided it all does not go horribly wrong in the forseeable future!)

At the end of 2020, I landed a pretty damn epic job. I am a Content Copywriter for a copmuter retailer with a heavy focus on gaming and high-end tech. That's right, I spend eight hours a day, five days a week writing about computers!

It has been a steep learning curve, having very little technical knowledge at the start, but a mere six months down the line I can confidently tell you everything about keyboards. Part of why I took a step back from here was down to the sheer amount of brain power it was taking learning this all and adjusting to my new office life. 

Now, I feel like I firmly have my feet under the desk and am looking forward to our upcoming projects. I work with an awesome team of like minded nerds and it's refreshing to enjoy my job.

Being settled and all, with my routine and my job, I'm finding myself reflecting on my mental health. At first, I was feeling drained after work but now that I am acustomed I'm feeling firmer in my skin. Due to sitting (and eating!) a lot, the pounds have been piling on. Instead of jumping to my stockpile of negative comments about myself, I am taking it in my stride. Yoga classes have started on Sundays, which I now attend; I plan to reintroduce yoga in my morning routines, too. Gotta stay bendy.

But there's more. I am beginning to rebuild the bridges which took a thorough bashing during my dark period. I can put myself into environments that this time last year would have been impossible. What would have triggered me before is merely noted and processed. Not that I am 100% zen - sometimes things do trigger me, but I am much, much, much better at processing and coping with the issue. It also helps having money in my bank account. Online retail therapy is a blessing.

I think the main take away is that I feel c o n f i d e n t. 

Work has a big part to play in that too. The team I work with is very supportive - like, hella, big love supportive. Sure, I have had that in the past, but not to this degree. We have each other's backs, we praise when there is call for it, and we offer help when that is needed too. Plus, not having to deal with crotchey customers day in, day out makes a MASSIVE difference. An all caps difference.

During the first lockdown, I went out of my way to be nice to all the poor retail workers who had to risk theirs and their family's lives - and it is a habit I will keep up. Not that I was particularly rude to them before. (I was always more of a headphones in, talk as little as possible sort of customer.) I am hopeful that the pandemic will help others to change their perspectives and be kinder. A niave hope, I know, as there will always be asshats. But if even just a small percentage of customers were nicer to their servers, then it might not be such a hellscape to work.

But I digress. That is something I do not need to worry about anymore.

For now, I am a happy, content minion.