the first six months of 2026

First half of the year has passed, only half of the year left. 2026 is a difficult year for me so far. At the end of 2025, I wished for more rest this year. I didn’t do that yet. I pushed harder in different ways and I just can’t keep doing that. For 1.5 years now, I have been going extra hard in everything I do - I asked for more work at work, I created new opportunities and roles for me there, I blogged longer informative posts that took a lot of my knowledge and research, I completed more exams in my part time degree than ever before, I started and finished the certificate to be a data protection consultant, I attended conferences, I started volunteering, I went harder on my fitness, and so on. I do that to make up for my severe illness in 2024 and because of how a chronic illness turns everything into a pressing matter (fear of relapse, fear of no longer getting to do something, urge to maximize good times etc); and I can no longer keep it up. I need a longer break where I can…