Life is full, busy, and vibrant. Last year felt like a long plateau, with the universe telling me, “Wait for it…” I was underwhelmed. I waited, rested, and breathed through the lull.
Then 2025 came, and life went from slow to full speed. I got the college lecturing job I prayed for, finally landed interior design projects, and home life was full. But even too many good things can be overwhelming.
Last week was a good example. My apartment rental underwent a kitchen renovation due to a repair issue. My landlord let me spearhead the project—a dream come true! I got to design a kitchen based on my own lived experience and then use it after, too? It was a score. But the challenge finally kicked in: I had to pack up the pantry, set up a makeshift kitchen, cover my stuff, and find a place to work while renovations were ongoing. It was only a week, so I thought I could still sleep in my studio unit.
Spoiler: I was wrong.
Yet, every mishap became a moment of reconnection.
Reconnecting with Productivity: Quality Work Doesn’t Require Long Hours
With construction noise, I left my apartment and worked from nearby cafés instead. I learned how to be more efficient, capping deep work to three-hour blocks. Surprisingly, this rhythm made me more productive. Three focused hours, a meal, and a cappuccino later, I had already checked off my to-do list. Turns out, I didn’t need to push myself to exhaustion.
Reconnecting with My Body: Health Comes First
Sleeping in dust got me sick. Between juggling two jobs and squeezing in rock climbing twice a week, I had already been stretching myself thin. That week, I skipped the climbing gym. Had I not gotten a fever, I would’ve kept pushing until I got tired and became a cranky mess. It was my body telling me to pause. Sometimes, reconnecting with ourselves means listening to the signals we often ignore.
Reconnecting with Rest: It Comes in Different Forms
After a hectic week, I spent the weekend making crafts. My boyfriend and I had a Valentine’s date making faux cement bottles and recycled paper, it was so much fun! But the surprising thing was how my mind melted into the tactile, quiet session. Then it hit me—though I had been eating three meals a day and sleeping eight hours a night, my brain never truly rested. My mind had just been on the whole time.
Reconnecting with the Present: You always have access to what you need now.
At some point during the week, I kept thinking, “Okay, Karol, you just gotta get through this, and then it’ll be over.” But when the renovation was finally complete, I faced the next challenge: unpacking and cleaning. The overwhelmingness didn’t stop; it felt like one thing after another. But the thing is, I didn’t stop either. I rushed meals between classes, ate in front of my laptop, and filled the small moments that could’ve grounded me with doom-scrolling. I kept waiting for peace instead of embracing it in the now. Reconnection isn’t something we earn; it’s something we allow.
Reconnecting with Self-Worth: Rest is an essential, not a reward.
The funny thing? After the renovation, I finally left the apartment—I booked a hotel room and got some quality rest. I kept putting it off, feeling like it was something I had to “deserve.” But that night, I ate while staring at the city skyline, had a whole clean bed to myself, slept for nine blissful hours, and woke up so recharged! I hired a professional cleaner for the unpacking, allowing myself to focus on my other priorities. While they finished up the apartment, I caught up on the work I had paced out when I was sick.
At first, I felt guilty for outsourcing cleaning and spending on a staycation. But the cost of one night’s rest and hired help was far less than three days of misery, a stuffed nose, and burnout. Girl math: I saved money.
This month pulled me in all directions—I felt stretched from all sides. Good thing I read a lot during my “off-season.” One lesson from Phil Jackson’s Eleven Rings stuck with me: The player who gets into the NBA is not the same player who thrives in the NBA. You have to evolve. The Karol who got hired as a lecturer and built a design business is not the same Karol who will juggle both.
When I shifted from “I have to” to “I get to,” life became a learning experience. The renovation wasn’t just another burden—it was a reconnection. To myself. To my priorities. To balance. To grace under pressure. And most importantly, it was a reconnection to the idea that being ‘whelmed’ isn’t about finding the perfect middle ground. It’s about allowing life to flow while remembering to reconnect, over and over again.
Life is funny like that. When you ask for patience, the universe doesn’t give you patience—it gives you a chance to practice it. I wished to be quick-witted and systematic, and the universe gave me opportunities to refine my resourcefulness—not just with money, but with time and energy.
So my wish for you all is this: may all your dreams come true, and may you have the wisdom and courage to receive them when they (inevitably) do. :)
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