2025 felt hard for a reason. Now that the pace has finally slowed, relief isn't what's showing up. It's something impossible to ignore: the realization that you did everything you were told, adjusted again and again, and it still didn’t work. This post names what broke, why pretending it was normal made it worse, and how to enter next year without recreating the same exhaustion.

Survival mode has quietly become the default in 2025. Prices keep climbing, wages stay flat, and too many of us are stretched to the breaking point. But survival isn’t supposed to be permanent. In this post, I break down the hidden costs of survival mode and the systems that create breathing room, protect your peace, and help you move beyond just “making it.”