
It’s been a while, huh? I guess it’s time for a life update.
Before I get started, here’s a refresher:
In 2018, I got a burn-out. That first year was horrible, in short. For the full story, check out my blog One Year of Being Sick.
In 2019, I started recovering and made massive progress. I got to travel again, got back into the gym, went to concerts, was working more, and even had somewhat of a social life. Obviously that all collapsed in 2020—I wrote about that in this life update in April 2020.
So now, a year(ish) later, it’s time for another life update.

How I’m coping with the pandemic
As I said in my blog post last year, this pandemic-era feels like I’m sliding back into that whole burnout thing. Everything I worked so hard for was taken from me (and many others, of course). Anything I did to manage my mental health is now pretty much forbidden. We’ve all had to find new ways to cope with our feelings and stay healthy.
For me, the minimum I’ve been doing is keeping up with my healthy habits:
- Taking 10 000 steps through daily walks, semi-regular hikes, dancing to a fun playlist, or pacing through the house while reading
- Home workouts and yoga (and my gym is currently offering outdoor HIIT or circuit training for two people at the time!)
- Get enough sleep but also have set bedtimes so I don’t spend too long in bed
- A balanced diet of healthy meals I enjoy and less nutritious food I crave
- Self-care for me is already sticking with the habits above (+ reading), but I also try to take an hour or two each week to plan my days, do my nails, enjoy a face mask, take a shower by candlelight (thanks for the tip, Niki!), take care of my plants (badly) and more stuff like that to mindfully experience (that sounds very woohoo, wow)
- Basic chores like cooking, doing groceries, cleaning
Then I have some other activities that I need to do or are important to me:
- Work: I have 10+ hrs of work a week now, which isn’t a lot and I’m a pro at stretching it through procrastination. Unfortunately that means I spend a lot of time procrastinating instead of doing something productive (this is something I’m working on).
- Reading: I’m in a book club where every month we read about some type of activism, like anti-racism and feminism. Alongside that monthly book, I also read a fiction book and my goal is to read some type of self-development book as well.
After work and reading, my other activities really depend on how I’m feeling. Too often, I turn to Netflix for the rest of the day, unfortunately. If I have more discipline/motivation, I:
- Study, like The Science of Well-Being from Yale or any of the freelancer/digital marketing courses I’m enrolled in.
- Work on some of my personal projects, like To Do in Budapest (and Doen in Boedapest), write blogs for my website, or prepare for:

I’m going back to school!
So, since I had my burnout, I’ve done a pretty good job at recovering (if I may say so).
In the past year, numerous friends and family members (and also strangers) have reached out to talk about their mental health struggles, weight loss attempts, and habit goals. I have absolutely LOVED talking about this and trying to help them figure out personal ways how to manage it (because what works for me might not work for you).
I’ve also loved learning more about this, developing my knowledge, and experimenting on myself (and with some willing family members and friends).
In fact, I loved it so much that last summer I decided to see if there was a way I could do this for a living.
And turns out, it’s a thing!
In English, it’s called health coaching; in Dutch, it’s called leefstijlcoaching (or lifestyle coaching, translated). A health coach supports their coachees to create a healthy lifestyle that works for them by giving them tools around nutrition, activity, stress management, sleep, behavior change, and more. In the Netherlands, insurance will pay for your health coaching depending on the program and certain criteria!
In March, I’m starting a post-graduate course for health coaching in Amsterdam (or probably online for now) and I’m seriously so excited—I can’t wait to expand my knowledge and develop my coaching skills. I have a notebook full of exciting ideas for my future as a health coach!
The countdown is on! I just ordered some stationery to get ready for classes and I already have some homework to prepare for my first class.
I’m sure I’ll write another update sometime (soon?), so until then, wish me luck and stay tuned!
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