I feel the same! Even feel inspired to start a TH-cam channel of my own - I think it would motivate me to be more introspective and think about how I could serve others with my vulnerability, just like Jade has just served me
i don’t think i’ve ever left a youtube video feeling the trance-like state i experience when watching astounding live performances of people dancing, singing their hearts out, or in any other sense, creating vulnerable, vulnerable art right before my eyes. time paused while i watched this video. i felt like a child on the reading carpet listening to my teacher reading a riveting and inspiring story… what a gift it is to be so in touch with yourself and your mind… and to be able to articulate that in such colourful words… you are incredibly, *incredibly* intelligent, Jade and although i may not know you personally (though i would absolutely love to) your ability to live so truly and honestly and freely fascinates me… this was beautiful. thank you for sharing it with the world. ❤
Oh my goodness Jade. This is truly what it feels like to be 23 following a life shaped by eldest daughterhood foundationalised in academic validation and the pursuit of constant improvement. It has resonated so strongly with my fellow 23 year old heart. Thank you for sharing this, and the perfectly acceptable nature of being lost. It feels so wonderful to hear my own emotions perfectly and poetically spoken by someone else. Life can be really messy and this has made me feel so empowered to sit in that discomfort. These feelings and the expectations to be better, do better and grow are extremely isolating at times. Equally is the prospect of allowing them to wash over you and not act upon them. Wishing you the best on this new journey of peace.
“i am so thankful for my open heart” it’s such a beautiful thing to be grateful for and it made me realize that I too am thankful. Hope you are doing well girlie ❤
17:30 “the journey is the gift” *existential groan* 👌 Thanks for being so honest. I had a year that mirrors yours in a lot of ways, and I appreciate the solidarity. Look at us grow 💚
It's a Sunday and I'm having a late breakfast as I'm watching Jade's reflection of her year, which makes me think of my year, and the only word that comes to mind is "dissociation". Not in a bad-bad sense, but it's very bizarre, that throughout this year I was living inside my bubble rather than the real world, I felt lost so I found myself a cozy corner to hibernate in. I wasn't in the moment for the longest ever. My wish from the new year is that I start enjoying real life again and come back to the moments of it. And whoevers reading this, I wish you to also find yourself back into here and now :)
I’d say my 2023 would be “adjustment”, it feels like so many things are coming at me so quickly, but it also feels like I’m becoming the type of person who can adjust and rise up to meet it. Thank you for inspiring me
Wow, thank you for sharing this so honestly!! There’s a temptation to mask turmoil as busyness. I hope you gained a lot of learnings and lessons through the hecticness 🦋 wishing you peace
idk how true this is but i think the reason we're all becoming more doubtful and jaded bc the age of social media isn't *fresh* or *new* anymore and we're all wondering...ok now what? is this what the internet is, and looks like?
This year has broken me so often in so many places and the one big thing I'm proud of is not giving up. this year's motto definitely was "screaming, crying, throwing up" and as the latest (metaphorical) slap in my guts arrived this morning at 9am sharp and made me spiral once again, I'm scared it will never end
While I was reflexting on my 2023 I came to the conclusion that this is the happiest year I have lived since a long long time. Am I at my happiest? No definitly not. But I have truly let myself live this year and not survive. I am curious what next year will bring us, let's be kind to one another keep inspiring eachother. Thank you Jade for letting us come along on your beautiful journey called life!!❤
This is such a good idea! Id love to hear ur advice on setting up a routine outside of uni cause im really struggling working from home and living at home (how do u deal w isolation) @@UnJadedJade
You are also a poet, this was lowkey poetry. As a poet myself, I enjoyed this with all of me. Beautifully expressed. Thank you for being vulnerable with us and sharing the beautiful moments as well. Keep being you! My 2023: Trials and Triumph....Using my Nonprofit Organization to make people's life better, orphans and the blood drive campaign In The Gambia really made my 2023 fulfilling. It made me more grateful and appreciate everything I have and where I am In life. It was awakening, now i just want to become better and make this world better. Thank you for the inspiration,
My 2023 is fluidity i think, a lot has changed, new places, new people, lost places, lost people. Quite crazy how much has gone into this year. Bring on 2024 and all it's got to offer.
I've been watching your videos for so many years but I never usually comment on anything. This video was incredibly beautiful, and I found myself tearing up as I relate to so many of the things that you are experiencing in your 20's. Thank you so much for your honesty, and for making people feel less alone when the word feels so uncertain
Courage is my word. Having the courage to go forward in a world where I only have one living parent, to grieve when the rest of the world keeps going, to change my career path from law to teaching despite all the work I’d put in. Doing things I have always been scared of and accepting that I might fail or get hurt. Thank you for posting this and prompting me to think more deeply about this year, I love how open and vulnerable you have been (although I’m sure that wasn’t easy) and it was beautifully put.
my word is 'healing’, spent this year at my parents house in a 800 people village after coming home from semester abroad in Seoul and I was very sad for a long time, missing everyone, heartbroken, tried all year to find an internship and an appartment in the city, spend lots of lazy time, lots of walks alone in the forest, lots of quality time with friends, finding love and worth in myself without any external validation
I think 2023 was my year of exploration: I explored my neurodivergency and how to build my life to better suit it I explored my feelings and how to better interpret and explain them I explored colleges (I’m a high school senior) and what I want out of my future And I explored my gender and how stereotypes regarding it have negatively affected me Thank you for being such an authentic person, Jade! I’ve been watching your videos since I was a freshman and it’s been so inspiring to see how you’ve grown!
I would say 2 words describe this year "Rebel" and "Realization" - I turned 18 and I absolutely shaked the core of who I thought I was. The good part? ended up realizing a ton lot about which ideas I don't wanna subscribe to and what I don't want while realizing why I act the way I do, so it was more of "a journey within through journey without". A year of finding myself and I did got lots of answers so ig it was worth it!
One word to describe my 2023: Essential. It was essential to go through the things I went through so I could put in the work that I needed to to get to where I am now - a place where I am more aware of who I am than ever before, and a place where I am able to build confidence in myself where it has been severely lacking and actively try to achieve new and difficult things. Definitely a year of huge reflection, but very, very needed.
This almost made me cry, wow. It made me realize that all of us go through our struggles and that struggling is almost more normal than being perfectly happy all the time! And it made me reflect on my own year and upcoming exchange as well. You made me want to embrace the challenges to come while never forgetting to enjoy the little things. You are such a gem in the world of the internet
A courageous poem, a gorgeous painting and a wholesome talk❤️😭..this video is this and more ..can't describe my respect and love for the change and the influence you are putting out in this world 🤍..you teach us what is it to be a human in all its meanings ..Jade you are a true goddess ❤️🩹✨️..may all the goodness in you show up in your year ahead and a big thank you for the honesty you spread❤️🫂
I think my word for this year is 'return'. At the start of the year, I was living abroad in Melbourne, and had grand ideas to travel to many countries and find exciting jobs, and do things that sounded really awesome in a conversation. But as the year went on, I found myself yearning for old friends and jobs and routines. And for the first time in my life, I allowed myself to return to things and allowed myself to enjoy them instead of constantly planning the next grand step. After backpacking around Australia, I returned to my life in Melbourne and became closer to my friends there. Then over the summer, I returned to the summer camp in the US I worked at in 2022, and had a surprisingly amazing summer again. And then in September, I returned home to the UK, got my old minimum wage job back, and experienced my first autumn in the UK in many years alongside you and your videos. It's been an uncertain year, and I'm dreading the dreary UK Jan-Mar next year. But I am content nonetheless. Thank you for all your videos this year. They've really helped me throughout my year. Wishing you all the best in 2023 x
i relate so deeply with what you shared, and i’m so grateful to know i am not alone in my uncertainty! thank you for the beautiful 2023 recap! i’ll come back when i’ve figured out my word but i just wanted to say thank you!
one word i'd use to describe my year is trust. this year i put so much trust in myself and took a huge leap. i left my parents, my friends, my boyfriend and moved country for my education, for my independence. i trusted myself in knowing that it was the right choice, and it so was! love you, jade from bee x
Jade, what a beautiful human you are. I’ve been following you for a while and this video feels like discovering a whole new depth to you. Thank you for baring your soul, your struggles, your doubts, your joy. You are a true inspiration, a true friend 💜
impermanence. I learnt this year that people, places, emotions, they aren't forever. Loving someone doesn't stop them from hurting you, it doesn't stop people from coming and going, life is funny like that. I feel so incredibly uncertain and unstable where I am in my life, everything has changed this year. Still coming to terms with that impermanence.
I think that my word to describe 2023 is “change”. This year every part of my life changed: i finished high school, i started going to therapy trying to understand deeply myself and my mind, i moved away to study at university and last, but not least, diabetes entered in my life and messed everything up. I barely recognise myself anymore but here we are, at a new beginning and i am curious to see what life will reserve me. Thank you jade for posting such inspiring videos, you’re always a certainty❤
Wow that was so beautiful. Not only the honesty, but you also where phrasing everything in such a perfect way. It sounded like a mix between a diary and a poem. This really touched me, I literally startet crying several times during the video. I was also living in different places last year and could relate to so so many things you said. Thank you very much for sharing, it means a lot :)❤
change. i experienced a big loss this year, that really derailed several areas of my life. i am learning to accept these losses, to balance mourning and moving forward, and i am starting to grow back stronger. i have reached the end of an era, and am on the brink of a new one. thank you for being an incredibly wise and kind custodian of this corner of the internet 🌻💛
growth. it was my last year of middle school, and i clearly remember being so caught up in my studies and feeling stressed all the time. i sacrificed weekends with my family to study in the library, even in the first few weeks of school. i remember texting my friends or writing in my diary during my study breaks. i remember my two friends, and looking back, that year was OUR golden era. but i think i slowly learnt to let go of my grades, stop obsessing over every little mark or half-mark i lost in a test, and just embrace it and move on. i slowly realised what friendship really means to me. and i decided to tell that someone about how i really felt about them, scared and dizzy, and though it felt like an impulsive decision it had actually been bubbling inside of me for far too long. i think that was probably the hardest decision i've ever made in my life, but it was so rewarding and i wouldn't have wished it to have been any other way. i think i've learnt to prioritise myself and let people know how i feel when i need to. i'm still learning now, and i've been trying to open up more to my parents and friends when they ask how i am, and doing the same to them. right now i've been missing that someone, that friend, and despite my constant self-doubt as to whether i'm asking for too much or being clingy, i'm gonna write to them that i still value my friendship with them. and i know i'll always continue to grow and change, so thank you so much bc u always inspire me to do that
Upon first reflection, I’d say my word for this year is “surge”. In one sense, I feel like I’ve had this surge of coming into my own, this forward-motion of messy self-ownership. But I also think about waves, how they surge forward and fall back constantly. This has been a year of letting myself rise my emotions for the first time in my life, feeling and indulging in the power of them instead of reprimanding them. At the end of it, I’m exhausted, excited, uncertain, and equal parts content and discontent. Thank you for sharing your words ✨
My word for 2023 is temporary. Places, people, feelings, experiences, the big things and the small things. It’s all temporary. And now stepping into 2024, with the insight of the year pasted, I remind myself to value the temporary treasures around me.
It just hits so hard. This realization that you are finally done.. I would be lying if I said I’m not scared from it. I’m graduating next semester & the things you mentioned just hits me even before experiencing any of it.. it’s sad that sometimes we are so catch up with life that we forget our true selves. However I could tell that It’s beautiful to get the chance to know yourself after that long journey. Sometimes mess is needed
I understand this feeling so deeply, but I promise it’ll be okay. There is just as much to be learned in the uncertain messiness as in the busy times where we’re striving for defined goals. I dare you to lean into it 💌
'Discovery' is the word of the year for me. From getting into a relationship at the tail-end of last year, to then go on a holiday together in January. Exploring London and various parts of the UK from then till April, whilst spending quality time with friends and loved ones where possible, whilst finishing up my 5 years at university. Then came May and June where many things came to an end. My dissertation in May, and moving out of univeristy for the final time in June. People I called friends all of a sudden miles apart and thrown into a life of no routine. July was a month to enjoy the new freedom from a spa holiday, to graduation, saying goodbye to familiar faces and hello to the future. August was a time of adjustment, moving in with the person i'm lucky to call my partner, and exlporing Edinburgh and its surroundings. Then September to December dawned and a new chapter of life, working in the area of my degree, meeting new faces, getting overloaded with information, and getting the oportunity to feel new again in unfamiliar territory, whilst exploring and discovering the country in unfamilair places.
My word for 2023 is ‘settling’. Not in a ‘make do’ way, but in the way silt in churned up water returns to the bottom after a while, adding to the foundation and leaving clear water.
This year was a year of ‘doing’ for me. As desired and intended, I experienced life to the fullest which inevitably burnt me out. For the last 2 months I’ve been craving reflection and introspection. I’ve been leaning into ‘being’. But for the majority of the year I dove head first into clubbing, partying, drinking, making friends, travelling, studying and the rest of it. There was little time to sit still and reflect. This was fine in the moment because I was living so much in my body that my mind wasn’t aware of the need for reflection. Now as the new year approaches I am content in my grandma era (coined by yours truly).
My word for this year was "trying". Trying a new job, a new phase in a relationship, a new city... Thank you for always being so honest and candid with us You for sure inspired me to be embrace uncertainty next year. All my life I run from it, now I will embrace it.
Jade, I usually watch videos on 2x speed because that's just the most fun way for me to consume content, but today, I stopped. I watched and listened to every single word you said because wow, your writing is just beautiful. Thank YOU for sharing with this corner of the internet, I'm happy to be here
"Change" I moved out of my parents house into a new city in a new country, met new people, did everything I thought I could or would never do. And I loved it, despite all the downs. You inspired me to be more ambitious and believe in myself. thank you :)
Release would be my word for 2023. Graduated earlier this year as well and like you said, in uni theres always a next task to occupy your mind with - now that I am transitioning into working life I can tell how much past trauma and heartbreak was stored inside, pushed down for all these uni years while chasing first honors (which like you, I got). Embracing the messiness, your insights are timeless and so well put and deserve a big audience! Love from a friend in 🇳🇱
this video is so comforting for me as someone who went through my first and the worst heartbreak i could imagine this year so I definitely would say this year was “healing” continuing next year but learning to value myself. This video showed me there is hope and so much more because my world didn’t end when he left me.
The word that describes my 2023 is conclusion. I finished a lot of chapters (good ones and bad ones), and now I'm open to whatever 2024 brings my way 🌻
I think for me my word for the year would be glow. I prioritised myself, went on solo dates, did so much for myself, found an amazing boyfriend when i wasn't looking for it, finally got my drivers license, started uni and absolutely love it. I've been told quite a few times that i glow differntly and I've seen that myself too. So I'm proud of myself for making this such a good year and making it through all the hardships (there have been quite a few) and challenges that were pointed my way. Thank you for this amazing video Jade! You really beautifully told your story
As a person who felt pretty much just like you after graduation, as many in this world have surely felt too during that specific period of their lives, I can only assure you that feeling and accepting the uncertainty of this specific period of your life and trying to find novelty and structure through simple tasks and objectives (like the routine that you have been practicing in Lison) will surely help steer you to the right direction and will help you find your next path in life (which is a momentary step too, since no path/journey in our lives is eternal, life is full of uncertainty and it's a fact that we must try to accept for as much days we get to live on this beautiful planet), in time. Just wanted to send you a virtual hug during these tumultuous period of your life, and I want you to know that your feelings are shared and felt by many many other persons on this planet in whatever step they have reached in their own lives. Dear jade, you will definitely reach a beautiful shore soon
Jade, I have been watching you for years and grown up with you. We’re always at similar life stages so I find comfort hearing about your current wins and challenges. This year for me has been the year of starts. I graduated in the summer, which marks the end of my university journey, but the start of something new. I moved into a new home with my boyfriend (our second home together, but first “proper adult” home). I’ve got that corporate girlie job, which has been scary but this company has been supportive, allowing me to build positive relationships and new friendships. I feel like I can be myself. With new friendships came adapting to long distance friendships with my university friends, who I was so used to living in the same house as. I am sending a lot of love your way Jade as we’re both starting this journey of real adulthood. ❤️
This is a really good poetic video wow. I wasn’t sure if I’d be interested in your channel after you graduated and as the academic content came to an end, but this is everything I personally could want from jade! This willingness to be open and vulnerable on your channel is truly inspiring and I can’t wait for more :) PS my word for this year would be change. Left school, started uni and had a break up. And I’m loving life 😁
Hi Jade, this is my last day of vacations from work and this video was exactly what I needed. My 2023 was a total chaos, in 2022 I made an exchange semester in Colombia after six years of dreaming and working hard at uni, and that was my year of traveling, making new friends, having advetures and even went to Mexico just to meet with the friends I made in Colombia, because I wasn't ready to close that chapter. By the end of that year I was SO, SO TIRED, but happy. 2023 arrived and that was also my last year of uni, so I decided it was going to be a calm year, where I was going to take care of me and just know me better. BUT, oh, here comes life again... IT WAS EVERYTHING BUT THAT. Between thesis, a scholarship I got for a research of 10 months, and an internship I was making, what later became my first *adult* job (wich I wasn't loking for btw, but it came). 2023 end being the most stressful and chaotic year of my life. At the middle of the year I finished all my academics and naively I thought "now I can do what I said" and again life slap me on the face and I got promoted at work, so the new responsabilities arrived. So I said: it's all right, if these is what it's coming I will accept it and meanwhile, I'll try to get out of my sistem all the stress I've been saving. I wasn't hard on myself if some weeks I couldn't make it to the gym as I wanted to, I went to bed early and I stopped going out so often as I used to, because first I wanted to be fine. And NOW I have no expectations for this new year, of course I have a couple of little things that I want to make, but this 2024 I'm just going to flow :D
Thank you for your authenticity- it’s so reassuring to hear from another beautiful soul the importance of slowing down and making space for discomfort, because sometimes this world makes rest and introspection look almost sinful, when really there is nothing more beautiful than feeling and being deeply, completely at one with who we are in this now-moment.
After watching your video, I wrote my own 2023 rewind and finished it just before the new year. I loved to just take a moment to reflect on everything that happened without the pressure of any resolutions. I decided for “courage” to be my word for 2024 and will keep that in mind while making decisions this year. I am excited for whatever is to come. Thanks for inspiring me
Thank you, Jade. Truly. I discovered your channel in January and have always found a video that speaks to me in whatever I’ve been feeling throughout the year. My word this year is “new.” I completed my second and third semesters of college, where I considered new majors and tried new approaches to my learning. I travelled, both with my family and with my friends, to new places. I encountered new kinds of relationships, including romantic ones, and started therapy, which gave me a new perspective on myself. I joined new clubs and tried new ways of living my life, and found new jobs and internships where I felt new kinds of pride, surprise, and disappointment. I reached new highs of contentment and new lows of depression and anxiety. I’m not sure if I’m “happy” with this year, but I’m very proud of it and proud of the girl I was in January who became who I am today 💜🦋
I cannot explain how unbelievably similar you are to me!!!! “For some people, growth is pushing themselves harder. For others like me, it’s is sitting in the discomfort of less”. What the fuck. I am in tears at this. You are incredible and fantastic and I SEE YOU :)) xxxxxxx
“Recovery” is my word for 2023. Part of me wants to use “calm” or “contentment” but that’s not how the year started, and I want to view the year as a whole, because the challenges were vital parts of my experience too. They‘ve influenced me as much as the growth from those moments has! I’m currently on a gap year between high school and uni and hearing about your experience, a few years ahead of my own, is heartening. I am so grateful to have someone speak honestly about from a place so different to my own, and yet simultaneously so similar. Thank you, Jade!!💜💚✨
'Rollercoaster' it is!! This year, I did a lot of things of things for the first time and a few things that I wanted to do from a long time.. I will be graduating in 2024, I'll be missing my friends and all this amazing people I met here whom I want to be present for every single moment of their life! This new year brings a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, but I'm am here for it! I challenge the life to come to me, and I'll stay strong like how I always did.
my word for 2023 would be: balance. i am on the eternal journey of defining and embodying it for myself and 2023 felt like an acceleration in my path. thank you jade ❤
Definitely growth is the word! I can't even describe how basically EVERYTHING I tried this year went WRONG and I still managed to survive it all even though I was completely messy sometimes. But hey, I'm still here and trying to prioritize me and the people I care about while trying my best to put my things together. Therapy really helped me throughout the process and of course, at some level resorting to people like you that could instill in me a spark of inspiration of doing my best even when I couldn't because I was just in a negative spiral. I really hope that next year all of us can use this strength and maturity gained this year to live through the whole bunch of new experiences that are to come and take the best of them!!
a year of ✨learning✨ is how i would describe my 2023, wether academically or introspectively, this year has taught me so much about myself, and what i want to strive for 🌟 thank you for another authentic and beautiful video jade🦋
a word to describe my 2023 would probably be change. I left my job, started a new one, and went back to school. I had multiple transitory phases and many quiet moments alone. I met people whom I never would’ve known if it wasn’t for the internet. very grateful for the year and for you jade. it feels so crazy to grow up alongside you these years from your gap year to uni to post uni. I hope 2024 holds lots of kindness and new opportunities for you 🦋
I think my word for this year is "perspective" I gained an understanding of the world around me, gaining perspective on people's situations, how first impressions aren't everything --- you never know a person until you GET to know them, even then, you don't know everything. A couple other words for it might be empathy and understanding. But I've also gained perspective on situations, how I could've handled/managed my stresses better. Perspective on how much I've grown as a person, especially in regards to social situations (I still feel incredibly awkward, but looking back, I've done so many things I wouldn't have done on my own before).
This was so beautiful, thank you. I don't know a word I would choose - 2023 saw me lose my 20-year-old brother, but also graduate, start a master's at my dream uni and get engaged! I am definitely coming out of 2023 a new person.
I would describe my 2023 with the word 'confidence'. I've really grown in confidence, not just socially but also in my uni work. I think I'm even more confident than I was before the pandemic, which is something I never thought would happen. Btw Jade I love how poetic this video is!
If I had to put 2023 in one word it will be "trying" I was trying all my best to be successful. I was trying to be happy. I was trying to be relaxed and open. I was trying to be calm. I was trying to find myself. I was trying so many things. I graduated from college w good grades. I was so tired and overwhelmed, but I couldn't ruin it after all these tiring years. So I pushed myself so hard to done it. I was lost, exhausted, stressed. I'm so happy that this year is about to end. I'm proud of me cuz I WAS TRYING and never gave up.
I would describe my year of 2023 with "courage" since I set myself to be more open to discomfort, trying things I dread or thought I would never do. Even if I didn't approach them with the best intention sometimes I can look back now and see how much I learned. I am proud of being courageous this year and I wish courage to spark in any form for all of you in the next year ✨
growth. started the year with a whole different life, i became a digital entrepreneur, experienced the worst breakup and suffer like hell and found a way to start to get over it and slowly change, i faced so many doubts about my future and what i want to do in my life and where i want to live and so on... but at the end of one of the years i've hated the most i can say that im starting to find some answers to my questions and damn, it was worth the wait
I think the word describing my 2023 best would be "embrace" because I tried to embrace every situation I was in and tried to focus mainly on doing what I love and therefore embracing my true self. Thank you, Jade, for being part of my year ❤
breathing is my word. It's beautiful. It's simple. Oh well, at the same time it's the most difficult aswell. To breathe. Thank you for your video! It's wonderful.
I also love love love the format of this video. I loved the way you already prepared beautifully written reflection of your year. It was so poetic and idk it just felt so connecting and calm.
For me the word to describe 2023 would be "change", I think. I had to put down my heart dog at the beginning of this year which absolutely wrecked me in ways I did not know were possible. I had my last session with a therapist who was absolutely amazing and who helped me in so many ways, for which I will always be grateful to her. I followed group therapy for 11 months with one therapist I already knew and one new therapist, which was honestly one of the most life changing experiences ever. I got a new puppy. I graduated university ánd I got a new job 2 months after graduating. An absolute rollercoaster of a year, and it changed me in so many ways that I cannot even begin to describe. Thank you for sharing your deepest thoughts Jade, it meant a lot to me and I'm sure many other people
My word is "outcomes". A lot happened this year that i felt was in direct recognition of all the hard work ive been putting in for years. I got recognized by 2 professors i loved who asked me to TA for them. I got to do a study abroad class in italy and got high marks. I got to graduate w my degree early. I got a job w a person i met in my classes who i really respect and enjoy working for. I got to come home. And sure all the outcomes dont all feel great. Im lonely and its too quiet being home. But im seeing the output of my life and that is a pretty stunning thing. ❤ thank u for sharing ur post grad journey, jade, it makes me feel less alone w mine.
ty so much for creating this space, and emboldening/challenging us to reflect through your bravery and thoughtfulness my 2023: acknowledgement some journaling below: It feels as though my mental health journey has followed the five stages of grief: Denial - "I'm fine, pft therapists who?" "these are just my lil quirks, not deeply rooted self-sabotaging behaviors" Anger - "everything i hate about myself is my parents/socities fault" Bargaining - "if i do XYZ, i'll finally stop hating myself", "that's it, that's all i need to do" Depression - "it's hopeless to even try, i hate myself, time to kms (what an era)) Acceptance - "i am where i am td and there is good and bad in it" Am no where near complete acceptance and peace. Have yet to correct so many unhealthy thinking patterns and habits, but have finally, at the very least, begun to accept. She comes as a gentle, soft-spoken voice that I hadn't heard in a long time before, maybe not ever before - the compassionate, creative self forced to bury long ago. It was too complacent, too incompatible with the societal quests. She wanted to do nothing with eternal, unlimited "progress", why then how could one soak into the trees or feel free enough to sing. Accepting this quiet oneness and smallness within the grand eco-network meant that I wouldn't be able to do the big things expected, no needed, of me (or so I thought). So the "responsible, driven" self, the external validation self, was summoned, nay created. At the very least I could was sound smart and look put-together. I convinced everyone but myself. The self-hatred became all-consuming. Then life-threatening. But sometimes meeting one person changes everything. It did for me.
Not normally a commenter, but this resonated with me so much and was exactly the reminder i needed. I also graduated university this year, experienced my first heartbreak and am currently back in my childhood bedroom working a dead end job whilst i figure what my future looks like. I have never felt this lost in my life and whilst i’ve been trying, leaning into the uncertainty is terrifying. Thank you for reminding me that there is joy to be found in the unknown ❤
Acceptance. Accepting the passing of good friends. Accepting that plans change. Accepting my body's call to rest, to settle, to reset and heal despite all the pressures from family and society to be big and productive and live something someone might call worthwhile. Accepting that my health needs my love and attention and that means letting things go. Accepting and embracing the little life, the slow life that gives so much inner joy. Acceptance of sickness each month that held me back from big plans but gave me different kinds of growth and learning and space for introspection. This was a year of acceptance on so many levels and one that gave me more than I'd dreamed of. p.s. I also connect so much with your feeling of uncertainty within yourself and the unrelentless doubt after spending so much time building yourself up. I too, had given myself unpresendented times to think and be with myself this year and it gave me things I'm convinced I'd never learn otherwise - after settling in beyond all the overthinking and thinking and thinking about things. Thank you for all that you share and do, someday I hope to share similarly here.
Rejection - in August, I unfortunately missed out on studying my dream course at uni (vet med!) by a low chem grade. I've wanted to be a vet my entire life and I put a lot of work into my application and A levels, so the failure was really crushing. I decided to re-sit and reapply, and over the past few months I can honestly say I've learned SO MUCH about myself, about handling rejection, and most importantly I've learned to just relax a little. I trust that whatever is meant to happen will happen, and that all I can do is try my best. I'm trying to enjoy my studies more rather than putting so much pressure on myself, and (touch wood!) that seems to be paying off! Thank you for this video Jade! I really appreciate seeing you be so honest about your journey, wishing you all the best for 2024!!
My 2023 word is: magic. I found magic this year. Following my intuition, trusting life. So many amazing things happened because of it. My highlight of this year was a Sisterhood retreat where I connected so deeply with other women in such a short period of time and have learned so many things for a lifetime. Magic was my year, because I opened up to seeing it and believing in it. This year I got my hogwarts letter - metaphorically speaking.
word that describes my year: challenging. This year has been a roller coaster ride of burnout and rest. I made it through my final exams in high school despite being totally exhausted and burnt out, but due to some miracle still managing to get good results on them. I finally got to go on a 1 month solo backpacking trip that I've been dreaming about so long. I was the only person in my class who moved abroad to continue their studies, and that brought with it it's own set of challenges. Despite my best efforts, I haven't been getting the grades I expect from myself, neither have I developed a good routine/study system that stops me from being in a constant cycle of studying hard for an exam, and then promptly burning out as soon as I finish it. However, I feel like I've learnt a great deal about myself and my values and goals in life. I know what I want, just not how to get it.
The fact that this video makes me realise that every single person on this earth I’ve seen has said that it’s not their fave year. I said it. One of my friends did and now you😅. So it makes me happy that I wasn’t the only one with self-doubt, friendship breakups, depression, fear of judgement and negative feelings. I still have some depression from 2023 in 2024. But I am just happy that I started this year with telling myself that 2024 is gonna be my time to shine. And I am ready to heal myself and accept myself as I am and be the best version of myself ❤.
this year has truly been about change for me. in the first semester, the group of friends i spent the last 4 years of my life with just fell apart (never have a group of friends filled with couples hahaha) and although i still saw some of them quite feequently even, i struggled after that to find my people. enter my semester abroad. i was terrified and i spent my whole summer grieving the life i have at home, even though i knew everything was temporary, i'll only be gone for 6 months. but i was so conflicted with the saddness that i felt about leaving home for the first time in my life but also the exitement of starting a life with my partner. and then i got to stockholm and i fell in love with it, it was everything i could ever dream of. i also struggled with very intense home sickness for the first two months, constantly wanting to leave for home, missing the familiar rutines of home, my friends. but i also made friends here, for the first time in god knows how long, new people in my life, friends that i have found for myself, not through another group. i was so proud. not a lot of friends, like everyone else around me, i still struggled with connecting people or just straight up getting myself out of the apartment to put myself out there but i was never lonely here. some of my friends from home visited me, bringing me a little bit of home while i was able to show them my new home. and slowly i started loving it here, really feeling home. when i visited home, i almost didn't want to go. then of course, by the time i was home and gotten used to it, i didn't want to ge back to stockholm. but i'm still here, and now getting ready to go back home again, and not for good, i'll be back soon. now i'm trying everything to spend more time here, another semester, anything because i truly fell in love. and no matter how desperately i cling to the life i lived the past few years, this journey made me realise that once change happens, you have to let it go eventually and also, what lies ahead is kinda fun, even though it's not the same. new thoughts emerge, guilt about potentionally leaving my family, ruining my partners future since i have to move back to my home town to finish uni, and then what? i'm still far from embracing the change, but this semester had been the best i've ever had and i have grown more than i did the past 3 years combined. thank you 2023, for the first time i can say i'm a new person compared to who i was last year.
One word to describe my 2023 would be "Scared". I was so scared all the time. Between 2019 and 2022 I experienced the most pain and grief I've ever had in my entire life. And it felt so endless that I spent all of 2023 scared that more terrible things would happen, it felt like the pain and hopelessness were one continuous and inevitable stream, but the thing is that nothing happened in 2023, difficult things have, but nothing comparable to what I was terrified of. And yet I had more dark spiralling anxious days in 2023 than I ever did before, too scared too even leave my bed or the sofa. So I will keep repeating two things to myself, my mantra for 2024: I spent a whole year bracing myself for a terrible impact and it didn't happen. / Things can still end well, sometimes.
JADE, THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video. You have no idea what it means to me your authenticity and your acceptance of every phase pf your life. It inspires me SO MUCH because this last year was and still is a big challenge for me. But knowing that I'm not the only one in the world who's struggling helps me embrace all the challenges that life makes me encounter. Thank you Jade, from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot explain how much people like you bright up the world. Usually i would have written this message in private but i want to share it with all the community as i know it can help people feeling less alone in this messy world. I feel safe here. Whoever is reading this, you are absolutely capable and worthy of everything. I wish you all the best and I dare you to follow always your dreams, whatever they be, so in this way you cannot help but bringing brightness into this world☀️☀️☀️❤️❤️❤️
The first word that emerges is 'overwhelming' - it's been a year of forevers and uncertainties. I started my PhD, scattered my mother's ashes, got engaged, moved cities, shepherding my siblings through grief, attended a nature retreat, got diagnosed with Ehler's Danlos Syndrome which explains so much and not enough at the same time. I am very excited for 2024 to begin, which is actually my Saturn return because this year was a lot and I wanted that new chapter to be carved out, the muscles strengthened, and a new possibilities to reveal themselves.
‘Stretch’ has been my word for 2023 Stretching my limits by visiting a couple of new countries and meet more than a couple of amazing new friends and spending so much time with them helping me stretch the limits of what I imagined I could be Stretching every morning to wake me my sleepy muscles and my sleepy lungs and get my heart beating and my body warm Stretching myself academically by persevering with lectures and not letting myself feel down for falling behind Stretching my arms open wide, before jumping (both metaphorically, into new situations and chapters of this beautiful thing called life, but also off Bloukrans Bridge near Storm River, South Africa!)
Jade, this video made ma sob so hard. I follow you since a few years and I love your videos so much. You inspire me to be a loving, authentic, good myself and I’m so grateful for this. With every video I know I’ll learn something new and honestly, you’re very much a role model for me. Thank you for that.
my word for this year is definitely growth. this is the first year on my life that i’ve prioritised my mental health, my physical health, my relationships and my sense of self. i’ve grown so much in confidence to the point that i was able to give a presentation for my IM project with ease (and got 85% on it!!), i started a new part time job but maintained my studies and social life. i’m looking after myself which is helping me to look after other people - i never thought it would be possible but 2023 has allowed me to grow into the best version of myself :))
Jade, my love! You bring me so much joy! I also had an "uncertainty" year and a heartbreak year when I graduated from university a few years back so this was strangely comforting and familiar to watch. A real mirror moment
this year I tried to live abroad (Europe) because it was a hidden desire since I was a teenager, but after three cities, 1 job, 1 heartbreak (kkkrying), I could realize how much I love my country and my hometown, even though we have many problems (it's not developed country!) there are some aspects of life which are not related to money or city indexes of quality, so I already bought my ticket flight to return next month. and thank you for sharing your life and perspective Jade! I've been watching your videos in the last years, I arrived here because I started to learning english and here we are again, but you're an inspiration for me and I appreciate it! I hope you a beautiful 2024!
I absolutely loved the honesty in this video!! It's good to know that it's ok to feel uncertain and that everyone feels that way even if they seem to have everything together. I think my word for this year would have to be growth, I'm so proud of how far I've come from 2022 and even though there's a long way to go, I've managed to find some peace :)
i think the word that describes my 2023 would definitely be "change" so many things changed in my life this year, i graduated high school in the summer, i turned 18, started university and moved away from home for the very first time in the fall, im still struggling to figure out what i want in life, what im working towards, idk if i picked the right major for me im still having a hard time making friends and adjusting to life away from home but its already the end of term, end of the year, i cant wait to see what 2024 has in store, im ready for the feeling of a fresh start, ps thank you for opening up and sharing your experienced with uncertainty this year, your videos will always be a safe space for me
Guys this video is literally straight from my diary!! 🥹 if you’re here watching this, we’re officially besties. So so much love to you all
I would describe 2023 as challenging
@@CocoFrankie ooh I hope the challenges provided growth rather being too overwhelming!! 🌱
Hello jade
expansive!! i learned so much and it was rough at times but beautiful
ohhhh this year was about CARING, from selfcare to caring about others... from pain to peace :) a painful but much needed year....
watching this is inspiring me to be more unapologetically authentic and honest
this means so much to me. authenticity is SO UNCOMFORTABLE but also gives us power. big love 🦋
I feel the same! Even feel inspired to start a TH-cam channel of my own - I think it would motivate me to be more introspective and think about how I could serve others with my vulnerability, just like Jade has just served me
i don’t think i’ve ever left a youtube video feeling the trance-like state i experience when watching astounding live performances of people dancing, singing their hearts out, or in any other sense, creating vulnerable, vulnerable art right before my eyes. time paused while i watched this video. i felt like a child on the reading carpet listening to my teacher reading a riveting and inspiring story… what a gift it is to be so in touch with yourself and your mind… and to be able to articulate that in such colourful words… you are incredibly, *incredibly* intelligent, Jade and although i may not know you personally (though i would absolutely love to) your ability to live so truly and honestly and freely fascinates me… this was beautiful. thank you for sharing it with the world. ❤
Oh my goodness Jade. This is truly what it feels like to be 23 following a life shaped by eldest daughterhood foundationalised in academic validation and the pursuit of constant improvement. It has resonated so strongly with my fellow 23 year old heart. Thank you for sharing this, and the perfectly acceptable nature of being lost. It feels so wonderful to hear my own emotions perfectly and poetically spoken by someone else. Life can be really messy and this has made me feel so empowered to sit in that discomfort. These feelings and the expectations to be better, do better and grow are extremely isolating at times. Equally is the prospect of allowing them to wash over you and not act upon them. Wishing you the best on this new journey of peace.
“i am so thankful for my open heart”
it’s such a beautiful thing to be grateful for and it made me realize that I too am thankful. Hope you are doing well girlie ❤
17:30 “the journey is the gift” *existential groan* 👌
Thanks for being so honest. I had a year that mirrors yours in a lot of ways, and I appreciate the solidarity. Look at us grow 💚
It's a Sunday and I'm having a late breakfast as I'm watching Jade's reflection of her year, which makes me think of my year, and the only word that comes to mind is "dissociation". Not in a bad-bad sense, but it's very bizarre, that throughout this year I was living inside my bubble rather than the real world, I felt lost so I found myself a cozy corner to hibernate in. I wasn't in the moment for the longest ever. My wish from the new year is that I start enjoying real life again and come back to the moments of it. And whoevers reading this, I wish you to also find yourself back into here and now :)
i feel exactly the same - let's take 2024 step by step
I feel the same..
you put what I've been feeling exactly into words
my wish for the next year is exactly the same. let's do this 🤍
Wow, you put this so well. Thank you for sharing your cozy corner; I wish you courage and peace as you navigate your way out into the real world again
I’d say my 2023 would be “adjustment”, it feels like so many things are coming at me so quickly, but it also feels like I’m becoming the type of person who can adjust and rise up to meet it. Thank you for inspiring me
just what i needed
Wow, thank you for sharing this so honestly!! There’s a temptation to mask turmoil as busyness. I hope you gained a lot of learnings and lessons through the hecticness 🦋 wishing you peace
idk how true this is but i think the reason we're all becoming more doubtful and jaded bc the age of social media isn't *fresh* or *new* anymore and we're all wondering...ok now what? is this what the internet is, and looks like?
This year has broken me so often in so many places and the one big thing I'm proud of is not giving up. this year's motto definitely was "screaming, crying, throwing up" and as the latest (metaphorical) slap in my guts arrived this morning at 9am sharp and made me spiral once again, I'm scared it will never end
While I was reflexting on my 2023 I came to the conclusion that this is the happiest year I have lived since a long long time. Am I at my happiest? No definitly not. But I have truly let myself live this year and not survive. I am curious what next year will bring us, let's be kind to one another keep inspiring eachother. Thank you Jade for letting us come along on your beautiful journey called life!!❤
I'm smiling so big for you!!
Do you think you’re ever going to start a podcast? I love hearing your well spoken thoughts snd i feel like your advice helps so many people 😊
Aaaah this is one of my big dreams for next year!! 🦋 what would you like me to talk about on it?
@@UnJadedJade yes do it! Relationship advices (friend/romance/family) and what you learned about them/your experiences would be super interesting! 😊
This is such a good idea! Id love to hear ur advice on setting up a routine outside of uni cause im really struggling working from home and living at home (how do u deal w isolation) @@UnJadedJade
Maybe some prompts for reflection or goalsetting too :)
I was literally going to ask this!!
You are also a poet, this was lowkey poetry. As a poet myself, I enjoyed this with all of me. Beautifully expressed. Thank you for being vulnerable with us and sharing the beautiful moments as well. Keep being you!
My 2023: Trials and Triumph....Using my Nonprofit Organization to make people's life better, orphans and the blood drive campaign In The Gambia really made my 2023 fulfilling. It made me more grateful and appreciate everything I have and where I am In life. It was awakening, now i just want to become better and make this world better. Thank you for the inspiration,
My 2023 is fluidity i think, a lot has changed, new places, new people, lost places, lost people. Quite crazy how much has gone into this year. Bring on 2024 and all it's got to offer.
Insecurity - that is my word for 2023. I was so insecure, doubted myself and was afraid of what would go wrong next.
I've been watching your videos for so many years but I never usually comment on anything. This video was incredibly beautiful, and I found myself tearing up as I relate to so many of the things that you are experiencing in your 20's. Thank you so much for your honesty, and for making people feel less alone when the word feels so uncertain
Courage is my word. Having the courage to go forward in a world where I only have one living parent, to grieve when the rest of the world keeps going, to change my career path from law to teaching despite all the work I’d put in. Doing things I have always been scared of and accepting that I might fail or get hurt. Thank you for posting this and prompting me to think more deeply about this year, I love how open and vulnerable you have been (although I’m sure that wasn’t easy) and it was beautifully put.
my word is 'healing’, spent this year at my parents house in a 800 people village after coming home from semester abroad in Seoul and I was very sad for a long time, missing everyone, heartbroken, tried all year to find an internship and an appartment in the city, spend lots of lazy time, lots of walks alone in the forest, lots of quality time with friends, finding love and worth in myself without any external validation
I think 2023 was my year of exploration:
I explored my neurodivergency and how to build my life to better suit it
I explored my feelings and how to better interpret and explain them
I explored colleges (I’m a high school senior) and what I want out of my future
And I explored my gender and how stereotypes regarding it have negatively affected me
Thank you for being such an authentic person, Jade! I’ve been watching your videos since I was a freshman and it’s been so inspiring to see how you’ve grown!
that sound like a very intense but satisfying year. I really hope the things you explored this year will nurture your 2024
Wow these are all huge milestones, congrats on navigating these big personal challenges with honesty and grace
I would say 2 words describe this year "Rebel" and "Realization" - I turned 18 and I absolutely shaked the core of who I thought I was. The good part? ended up realizing a ton lot about which ideas I don't wanna subscribe to and what I don't want while realizing why I act the way I do, so it was more of "a journey within through journey without". A year of finding myself and I did got lots of answers so ig it was worth it!
I LOVE this for you!!!
One word to describe my 2023: Essential. It was essential to go through the things I went through so I could put in the work that I needed to to get to where I am now - a place where I am more aware of who I am than ever before, and a place where I am able to build confidence in myself where it has been severely lacking and actively try to achieve new and difficult things. Definitely a year of huge reflection, but very, very needed.
your videos are so calming, i always feel calmer, and more in touch with my spiritual side after watching your videos
This almost made me cry, wow. It made me realize that all of us go through our struggles and that struggling is almost more normal than being perfectly happy all the time! And it made me reflect on my own year and upcoming exchange as well. You made me want to embrace the challenges to come while never forgetting to enjoy the little things. You are such a gem in the world of the internet
A courageous poem, a gorgeous painting and a wholesome talk❤️😭..this video is this and more ..can't describe my respect and love for the change and the influence you are putting out in this world 🤍..you teach us what is it to be a human in all its meanings ..Jade you are a true goddess ❤️🩹✨️..may all the goodness in you show up in your year ahead and a big thank you for the honesty you spread❤️🫂
I think my word for this year is 'return'. At the start of the year, I was living abroad in Melbourne, and had grand ideas to travel to many countries and find exciting jobs, and do things that sounded really awesome in a conversation. But as the year went on, I found myself yearning for old friends and jobs and routines. And for the first time in my life, I allowed myself to return to things and allowed myself to enjoy them instead of constantly planning the next grand step. After backpacking around Australia, I returned to my life in Melbourne and became closer to my friends there. Then over the summer, I returned to the summer camp in the US I worked at in 2022, and had a surprisingly amazing summer again. And then in September, I returned home to the UK, got my old minimum wage job back, and experienced my first autumn in the UK in many years alongside you and your videos. It's been an uncertain year, and I'm dreading the dreary UK Jan-Mar next year. But I am content nonetheless. Thank you for all your videos this year. They've really helped me throughout my year. Wishing you all the best in 2023 x
Oh my god. This video made me cry. You have a way with words, Jade. Thank you so much for sharing your 2023 with us. ❤️
i relate so deeply with what you shared, and i’m so grateful to know i am not alone in my uncertainty! thank you for the beautiful 2023 recap! i’ll come back when i’ve figured out my word but i just wanted to say thank you!
This is probably the most honest video I've ever watched TH-cam! Really appreciate you being so open about your journey over this last year, Jade.
one word i'd use to describe my year is trust. this year i put so much trust in myself and took a huge leap. i left my parents, my friends, my boyfriend and moved country for my education, for my independence. i trusted myself in knowing that it was the right choice, and it so was! love you, jade
from bee x
Jade, what a beautiful human you are. I’ve been following you for a while and this video feels like discovering a whole new depth to you. Thank you for baring your soul, your struggles, your doubts, your joy. You are a true inspiration, a true friend 💜
🥹✨ big love
impermanence. I learnt this year that people, places, emotions, they aren't forever. Loving someone doesn't stop them from hurting you, it doesn't stop people from coming and going, life is funny like that. I feel so incredibly uncertain and unstable where I am in my life, everything has changed this year. Still coming to terms with that impermanence.
I think that my word to describe 2023 is “change”. This year every part of my life changed: i finished high school, i started going to therapy trying to understand deeply myself and my mind, i moved away to study at university and last, but not least, diabetes entered in my life and messed everything up. I barely recognise myself anymore but here we are, at a new beginning and i am curious to see what life will reserve me.
Thank you jade for posting such inspiring videos, you’re always a certainty❤
Wow that was so beautiful. Not only the honesty, but you also where phrasing everything in such a perfect way. It sounded like a mix between a diary and a poem.
This really touched me, I literally startet crying several times during the video. I was also living in different places last year and could relate to so so many things you said.
Thank you very much for sharing, it means a lot :)❤
change. i experienced a big loss this year, that really derailed several areas of my life. i am learning to accept these losses, to balance mourning and moving forward, and i am starting to grow back stronger. i have reached the end of an era, and am on the brink of a new one. thank you for being an incredibly wise and kind custodian of this corner of the internet 🌻💛
growth.
it was my last year of middle school, and i clearly remember being so caught up in my studies and feeling stressed all the time. i sacrificed weekends with my family to study in the library, even in the first few weeks of school. i remember texting my friends or writing in my diary during my study breaks. i remember my two friends, and looking back, that year was OUR golden era. but i think i slowly learnt to let go of my grades, stop obsessing over every little mark or half-mark i lost in a test, and just embrace it and move on. i slowly realised what friendship really means to me.
and i decided to tell that someone about how i really felt about them, scared and dizzy, and though it felt like an impulsive decision it had actually been bubbling inside of me for far too long. i think that was probably the hardest decision i've ever made in my life, but it was so rewarding and i wouldn't have wished it to have been any other way. i think i've learnt to prioritise myself and let people know how i feel when i need to. i'm still learning now, and i've been trying to open up more to my parents and friends when they ask how i am, and doing the same to them.
right now i've been missing that someone, that friend, and despite my constant self-doubt as to whether i'm asking for too much or being clingy, i'm gonna write to them that i still value my friendship with them.
and i know i'll always continue to grow and change, so thank you so much bc u always inspire me to do that
Upon first reflection, I’d say my word for this year is “surge”. In one sense, I feel like I’ve had this surge of coming into my own, this forward-motion of messy self-ownership. But I also think about waves, how they surge forward and fall back constantly. This has been a year of letting myself rise my emotions for the first time in my life, feeling and indulging in the power of them instead of reprimanding them. At the end of it, I’m exhausted, excited, uncertain, and equal parts content and discontent. Thank you for sharing your words ✨
My word for 2023 is growth!
My word for 2023 is temporary. Places, people, feelings, experiences, the big things and the small things. It’s all temporary. And now stepping into 2024, with the insight of the year pasted, I remind myself to value the temporary treasures around me.
It just hits so hard. This realization that you are finally done.. I would be lying if I said I’m not scared from it. I’m graduating next semester & the things you mentioned just hits me even before experiencing any of it.. it’s sad that sometimes we are so catch up with life that we forget our true selves. However I could tell that It’s beautiful to get the chance to know yourself after that long journey. Sometimes mess is needed
I understand this feeling so deeply, but I promise it’ll be okay. There is just as much to be learned in the uncertain messiness as in the busy times where we’re striving for defined goals. I dare you to lean into it 💌
'Discovery' is the word of the year for me. From getting into a relationship at the tail-end of last year, to then go on a holiday together in January. Exploring London and various parts of the UK from then till April, whilst spending quality time with friends and loved ones where possible, whilst finishing up my 5 years at university. Then came May and June where many things came to an end. My dissertation in May, and moving out of univeristy for the final time in June. People I called friends all of a sudden miles apart and thrown into a life of no routine. July was a month to enjoy the new freedom from a spa holiday, to graduation, saying goodbye to familiar faces and hello to the future. August was a time of adjustment, moving in with the person i'm lucky to call my partner, and exlporing Edinburgh and its surroundings. Then September to December dawned and a new chapter of life, working in the area of my degree, meeting new faces, getting overloaded with information, and getting the oportunity to feel new again in unfamiliar territory, whilst exploring and discovering the country in unfamilair places.
My word for 2023 is ‘settling’. Not in a ‘make do’ way, but in the way silt in churned up water returns to the bottom after a while, adding to the foundation and leaving clear water.
This year was a year of ‘doing’ for me. As desired and intended, I experienced life to the fullest which inevitably burnt me out. For the last 2 months I’ve been craving reflection and introspection. I’ve been leaning into ‘being’. But for the majority of the year I dove head first into clubbing, partying, drinking, making friends, travelling, studying and the rest of it. There was little time to sit still and reflect. This was fine in the moment because I was living so much in my body that my mind wasn’t aware of the need for reflection. Now as the new year approaches I am content in my grandma era (coined by yours truly).
My word for this year was "trying".
Trying a new job, a new phase in a relationship, a new city...
Thank you for always being so honest and candid with us
You for sure inspired me to be embrace uncertainty next year.
All my life I run from it, now I will embrace it.
Trying is bloody brave. Congrats on navigating a year of so much growth!!
Jade, I usually watch videos on 2x speed because that's just the most fun way for me to consume content, but today, I stopped. I watched and listened to every single word you said because wow, your writing is just beautiful. Thank YOU for sharing with this corner of the internet, I'm happy to be here
One word (i'll use a phrase instead :P ) to describe 2023... "finding the lost version of me" .. and I think, I have found her
"Change" I moved out of my parents house into a new city in a new country, met new people, did everything I thought I could or would never do. And I loved it, despite all the downs. You inspired me to be more ambitious and believe in myself. thank you :)
Release would be my word for 2023. Graduated earlier this year as well and like you said, in uni theres always a next task to occupy your mind with - now that I am transitioning into working life I can tell how much past trauma and heartbreak was stored inside, pushed down for all these uni years while chasing first honors (which like you, I got). Embracing the messiness, your insights are timeless and so well put and deserve a big audience! Love from a friend in 🇳🇱
this video is so comforting for me as someone who went through my first and the worst heartbreak i could imagine this year so I definitely would say this year was “healing” continuing next year but learning to value myself. This video showed me there is hope and so much more because my world didn’t end when he left me.
You are so brave and strong for sitting in the depths of heartbreak. I hope you allow it to transform you in beautiful ways
The word that describes my 2023 is conclusion. I finished a lot of chapters (good ones and bad ones), and now I'm open to whatever 2024 brings my way 🌻
I think for me my word for the year would be glow. I prioritised myself, went on solo dates, did so much for myself, found an amazing boyfriend when i wasn't looking for it, finally got my drivers license, started uni and absolutely love it. I've been told quite a few times that i glow differntly and I've seen that myself too. So I'm proud of myself for making this such a good year and making it through all the hardships (there have been quite a few) and challenges that were pointed my way.
Thank you for this amazing video Jade! You really beautifully told your story
As a person who felt pretty much just like you after graduation, as many in this world have surely felt too during that specific period of their lives, I can only assure you that feeling and accepting the uncertainty of this specific period of your life and trying to find novelty and structure through simple tasks and objectives (like the routine that you have been practicing in Lison) will surely help steer you to the right direction and will help you find your next path in life (which is a momentary step too, since no path/journey in our lives is eternal, life is full of uncertainty and it's a fact that we must try to accept for as much days we get to live on this beautiful planet), in time. Just wanted to send you a virtual hug during these tumultuous period of your life, and I want you to know that your feelings are shared and felt by many many other persons on this planet in whatever step they have reached in their own lives. Dear jade, you will definitely reach a beautiful shore soon
Jade, I have been watching you for years and grown up with you. We’re always at similar life stages so I find comfort hearing about your current wins and challenges.
This year for me has been the year of starts. I graduated in the summer, which marks the end of my university journey, but the start of something new. I moved into a new home with my boyfriend (our second home together, but first “proper adult” home). I’ve got that corporate girlie job, which has been scary but this company has been supportive, allowing me to build positive relationships and new friendships. I feel like I can be myself. With new friendships came adapting to long distance friendships with my university friends, who I was so used to living in the same house as.
I am sending a lot of love your way Jade as we’re both starting this journey of real adulthood. ❤️
This is a really good poetic video wow. I wasn’t sure if I’d be interested in your channel after you graduated and as the academic content came to an end, but this is everything I personally could want from jade! This willingness to be open and vulnerable on your channel is truly inspiring and I can’t wait for more :)
PS my word for this year would be change. Left school, started uni and had a break up. And I’m loving life 😁
Exactly! She did magic with poetry right there. I was astonished with how she used her diction and figures of speech to describe her year. Just wow.
This means the world to me; thank you for your lovely words and for creating a safe space for my vulnerability 💌
@@UnJadedJade and thank you for interacting with your community :))
Hi Jade, this is my last day of vacations from work and this video was exactly what I needed. My 2023 was a total chaos, in 2022 I made an exchange semester in Colombia after six years of dreaming and working hard at uni, and that was my year of traveling, making new friends, having advetures and even went to Mexico just to meet with the friends I made in Colombia, because I wasn't ready to close that chapter. By the end of that year I was SO, SO TIRED, but happy. 2023 arrived and that was also my last year of uni, so I decided it was going to be a calm year, where I was going to take care of me and just know me better. BUT, oh, here comes life again... IT WAS EVERYTHING BUT THAT. Between thesis, a scholarship I got for a research of 10 months, and an internship I was making, what later became my first *adult* job (wich I wasn't loking for btw, but it came). 2023 end being the most stressful and chaotic year of my life. At the middle of the year I finished all my academics and naively I thought "now I can do what I said" and again life slap me on the face and I got promoted at work, so the new responsabilities arrived. So I said: it's all right, if these is what it's coming I will accept it and meanwhile, I'll try to get out of my sistem all the stress I've been saving. I wasn't hard on myself if some weeks I couldn't make it to the gym as I wanted to, I went to bed early and I stopped going out so often as I used to, because first I wanted to be fine. And NOW I have no expectations for this new year, of course I have a couple of little things that I want to make, but this 2024 I'm just going to flow :D
Thank you for your authenticity- it’s so reassuring to hear from another beautiful soul the importance of slowing down and making space for discomfort, because sometimes this world makes rest and introspection look almost sinful, when really there is nothing more beautiful than feeling and being deeply, completely at one with who we are in this now-moment.
After watching your video, I wrote my own 2023 rewind and finished it just before the new year. I loved to just take a moment to reflect on everything that happened without the pressure of any resolutions. I decided for “courage” to be my word for 2024 and will keep that in mind while making decisions this year. I am excited for whatever is to come. Thanks for inspiring me
I'm healing watching you heal, it is so comforting. Your writing abilities are marvelous
Thank you, Jade. Truly. I discovered your channel in January and have always found a video that speaks to me in whatever I’ve been feeling throughout the year.
My word this year is “new.” I completed my second and third semesters of college, where I considered new majors and tried new approaches to my learning. I travelled, both with my family and with my friends, to new places. I encountered new kinds of relationships, including romantic ones, and started therapy, which gave me a new perspective on myself. I joined new clubs and tried new ways of living my life, and found new jobs and internships where I felt new kinds of pride, surprise, and disappointment. I reached new highs of contentment and new lows of depression and anxiety. I’m not sure if I’m “happy” with this year, but I’m very proud of it and proud of the girl I was in January who became who I am today 💜🦋
I cannot explain how unbelievably similar you are to me!!!! “For some people, growth is pushing themselves harder. For others like me, it’s is sitting in the discomfort of less”. What the fuck. I am in tears at this. You are incredible and fantastic and I SEE YOU :)) xxxxxxx
“Recovery” is my word for 2023. Part of me wants to use “calm” or “contentment” but that’s not how the year started, and I want to view the year as a whole, because the challenges were vital parts of my experience too. They‘ve influenced me as much as the growth from those moments has! I’m currently on a gap year between high school and uni and hearing about your experience, a few years ahead of my own, is heartening. I am so grateful to have someone speak honestly about from a place so different to my own, and yet simultaneously so similar. Thank you, Jade!!💜💚✨
'Rollercoaster' it is!!
This year, I did a lot of things of things for the first time and a few things that I wanted to do from a long time..
I will be graduating in 2024, I'll be missing my friends and all this amazing people I met here whom I want to be present for every single moment of their life!
This new year brings a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, but I'm am here for it! I challenge the life to come to me, and I'll stay strong like how I always did.
my word for 2023 would be: balance. i am on the eternal journey of defining and embodying it for myself and 2023 felt like an acceleration in my path. thank you jade ❤
It's so lovely to hear someone else in their early 20s going through this time of uncertainty. Thanks for sharing Jade :)
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and inviting us to reflect with you on the past year
Definitely growth is the word! I can't even describe how basically EVERYTHING I tried this year went WRONG and I still managed to survive it all even though I was completely messy sometimes. But hey, I'm still here and trying to prioritize me and the people I care about while trying my best to put my things together. Therapy really helped me throughout the process and of course, at some level resorting to people like you that could instill in me a spark of inspiration of doing my best even when I couldn't because I was just in a negative spiral. I really hope that next year all of us can use this strength and maturity gained this year to live through the whole bunch of new experiences that are to come and take the best of them!!
"healing". Mentally, physically, mindset-ally... healing. And now ready to help those around me heal as well.
a year of ✨learning✨ is how i would describe my 2023, wether academically or introspectively, this year has taught me so much about myself, and what i want to strive for 🌟 thank you for another authentic and beautiful video jade🦋
a word to describe my 2023 would probably be change. I left my job, started a new one, and went back to school. I had multiple transitory phases and many quiet moments alone. I met people whom I never would’ve known if it wasn’t for the internet. very grateful for the year and for you jade. it feels so crazy to grow up alongside you these years from your gap year to uni to post uni. I hope 2024 holds lots of kindness and new opportunities for you 🦋
I think my word for this year is "perspective"
I gained an understanding of the world around me, gaining perspective on people's situations, how first impressions aren't everything --- you never know a person until you GET to know them, even then, you don't know everything.
A couple other words for it might be empathy and understanding.
But I've also gained perspective on situations, how I could've handled/managed my stresses better. Perspective on how much I've grown as a person, especially in regards to social situations (I still feel incredibly awkward, but looking back, I've done so many things I wouldn't have done on my own before).
This was so beautiful, thank you. I don't know a word I would choose - 2023 saw me lose my 20-year-old brother, but also graduate, start a master's at my dream uni and get engaged! I am definitely coming out of 2023 a new person.
I would describe my 2023 with the word 'confidence'. I've really grown in confidence, not just socially but also in my uni work. I think I'm even more confident than I was before the pandemic, which is something I never thought would happen. Btw Jade I love how poetic this video is!
If I had to put 2023 in one word it will be "trying"
I was trying all my best to be successful.
I was trying to be happy.
I was trying to be relaxed and open.
I was trying to be calm.
I was trying to find myself.
I was trying so many things.
I graduated from college w good grades. I was so tired and overwhelmed, but I couldn't ruin it after all these tiring years. So I pushed myself so hard to done it.
I was lost, exhausted, stressed. I'm so happy that this year is about to end.
I'm proud of me cuz I WAS TRYING and never gave up.
I would describe my year of 2023 with "courage" since I set myself to be more open to discomfort, trying things I dread or thought I would never do. Even if I didn't approach them with the best intention sometimes I can look back now and see how much I learned. I am proud of being courageous this year and I wish courage to spark in any form for all of you in the next year ✨
growth. started the year with a whole different life, i became a digital entrepreneur, experienced the worst breakup and suffer like hell and found a way to start to get over it and slowly change, i faced so many doubts about my future and what i want to do in my life and where i want to live and so on... but at the end of one of the years i've hated the most i can say that im starting to find some answers to my questions and damn, it was worth the wait
I think the word describing my 2023 best would be "embrace" because I tried to embrace every situation I was in and tried to focus mainly on doing what I love and therefore embracing my true self.
Thank you, Jade, for being part of my year ❤
breathing is my word. It's beautiful. It's simple. Oh well, at the same time it's the most difficult aswell. To breathe. Thank you for your video! It's wonderful.
I also love love love the format of this video. I loved the way you already prepared beautifully written reflection of your year. It was so poetic and idk it just felt so connecting and calm.
thank you SO much for this lovely feedback!! 🥹✨ I was nervous to try out a new format but I loved how empowered it made me feel
For me the word to describe 2023 would be "change", I think.
I had to put down my heart dog at the beginning of this year which absolutely wrecked me in ways I did not know were possible. I had my last session with a therapist who was absolutely amazing and who helped me in so many ways, for which I will always be grateful to her. I followed group therapy for 11 months with one therapist I already knew and one new therapist, which was honestly one of the most life changing experiences ever. I got a new puppy. I graduated university ánd I got a new job 2 months after graduating.
An absolute rollercoaster of a year, and it changed me in so many ways that I cannot even begin to describe.
Thank you for sharing your deepest thoughts Jade, it meant a lot to me and I'm sure many other people
My word is "outcomes". A lot happened this year that i felt was in direct recognition of all the hard work ive been putting in for years. I got recognized by 2 professors i loved who asked me to TA for them. I got to do a study abroad class in italy and got high marks. I got to graduate w my degree early. I got a job w a person i met in my classes who i really respect and enjoy working for. I got to come home. And sure all the outcomes dont all feel great. Im lonely and its too quiet being home. But im seeing the output of my life and that is a pretty stunning thing. ❤ thank u for sharing ur post grad journey, jade, it makes me feel less alone w mine.
growth is the word, messy, lovely, emotional but it all ended up in growth
ty so much for creating this space, and emboldening/challenging us to reflect through your bravery and thoughtfulness
my 2023: acknowledgement
some journaling below:
It feels as though my mental health journey has followed the five stages of grief:
Denial - "I'm fine, pft therapists who?" "these are just my lil quirks, not deeply rooted self-sabotaging behaviors"
Anger - "everything i hate about myself is my parents/socities fault"
Bargaining - "if i do XYZ, i'll finally stop hating myself", "that's it, that's all i need to do"
Depression - "it's hopeless to even try, i hate myself, time to kms (what an era))
Acceptance - "i am where i am td and there is good and bad in it"
Am no where near complete acceptance and peace. Have yet to correct so many unhealthy thinking patterns and habits, but have finally, at the very least, begun to accept.
She comes as a gentle, soft-spoken voice that I hadn't heard in a long time before, maybe not ever before - the compassionate, creative self forced to bury long ago. It was too complacent, too incompatible with the societal quests. She wanted to do nothing with eternal, unlimited "progress", why then how could one soak into the trees or feel free enough to sing. Accepting this quiet oneness and smallness within the grand eco-network meant that I wouldn't be able to do the big things expected, no needed, of me (or so I thought).
So the "responsible, driven" self, the external validation self, was summoned, nay created. At the very least I could was sound smart and look put-together. I convinced everyone but myself.
The self-hatred became all-consuming. Then life-threatening. But sometimes meeting one person changes everything. It did for me.
The year of thriving but also questioning every aspect of my being. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us
Not normally a commenter, but this resonated with me so much and was exactly the reminder i needed. I also graduated university this year, experienced my first heartbreak and am currently back in my childhood bedroom working a dead end job whilst i figure what my future looks like. I have never felt this lost in my life and whilst i’ve been trying, leaning into the uncertainty is terrifying. Thank you for reminding me that there is joy to be found in the unknown ❤
Wow, thank you so much for sharing your story 💌 big big love!!
Acceptance. Accepting the passing of good friends. Accepting that plans change. Accepting my body's call to rest, to settle, to reset and heal despite all the pressures from family and society to be big and productive and live something someone might call worthwhile. Accepting that my health needs my love and attention and that means letting things go. Accepting and embracing the little life, the slow life that gives so much inner joy. Acceptance of sickness each month that held me back from big plans but gave me different kinds of growth and learning and space for introspection. This was a year of acceptance on so many levels and one that gave me more than I'd dreamed of.
p.s. I also connect so much with your feeling of uncertainty within yourself and the unrelentless doubt after spending so much time building yourself up. I too, had given myself unpresendented times to think and be with myself this year and it gave me things I'm convinced I'd never learn otherwise - after settling in beyond all the overthinking and thinking and thinking about things. Thank you for all that you share and do, someday I hope to share similarly here.
Rejection - in August, I unfortunately missed out on studying my dream course at uni (vet med!) by a low chem grade. I've wanted to be a vet my entire life and I put a lot of work into my application and A levels, so the failure was really crushing. I decided to re-sit and reapply, and over the past few months I can honestly say I've learned SO MUCH about myself, about handling rejection, and most importantly I've learned to just relax a little. I trust that whatever is meant to happen will happen, and that all I can do is try my best. I'm trying to enjoy my studies more rather than putting so much pressure on myself, and (touch wood!) that seems to be paying off!
Thank you for this video Jade! I really appreciate seeing you be so honest about your journey, wishing you all the best for 2024!!
My 2023 word is: magic. I found magic this year. Following my intuition, trusting life. So many amazing things happened because of it. My highlight of this year was a Sisterhood retreat where I connected so deeply with other women in such a short period of time and have learned so many things for a lifetime. Magic was my year, because I opened up to seeing it and believing in it. This year I got my hogwarts letter - metaphorically speaking.
word that describes my year: challenging.
This year has been a roller coaster ride of burnout and rest. I made it through my final exams in high school despite being totally exhausted and burnt out, but due to some miracle still managing to get good results on them. I finally got to go on a 1 month solo backpacking trip that I've been dreaming about so long. I was the only person in my class who moved abroad to continue their studies, and that brought with it it's own set of challenges. Despite my best efforts, I haven't been getting the grades I expect from myself, neither have I developed a good routine/study system that stops me from being in a constant cycle of studying hard for an exam, and then promptly burning out as soon as I finish it. However, I feel like I've learnt a great deal about myself and my values and goals in life. I know what I want, just not how to get it.
The fact that this video makes me realise that every single person on this earth I’ve seen has said that it’s not their fave year. I said it. One of my friends did and now you😅. So it makes me happy that I wasn’t the only one with self-doubt, friendship breakups, depression, fear of judgement and negative feelings. I still have some depression from 2023 in 2024. But I am just happy that I started this year with telling myself that 2024 is gonna be my time to shine. And I am ready to heal myself and accept myself as I am and be the best version of myself ❤.
this year has truly been about change for me. in the first semester, the group of friends i spent the last 4 years of my life with just fell apart (never have a group of friends filled with couples hahaha) and although i still saw some of them quite feequently even, i struggled after that to find my people. enter my semester abroad. i was terrified and i spent my whole summer grieving the life i have at home, even though i knew everything was temporary, i'll only be gone for 6 months. but i was so conflicted with the saddness that i felt about leaving home for the first time in my life but also the exitement of starting a life with my partner. and then i got to stockholm and i fell in love with it, it was everything i could ever dream of. i also struggled with very intense home sickness for the first two months, constantly wanting to leave for home, missing the familiar rutines of home, my friends. but i also made friends here, for the first time in god knows how long, new people in my life, friends that i have found for myself, not through another group. i was so proud. not a lot of friends, like everyone else around me, i still struggled with connecting people or just straight up getting myself out of the apartment to put myself out there but i was never lonely here. some of my friends from home visited me, bringing me a little bit of home while i was able to show them my new home. and slowly i started loving it here, really feeling home. when i visited home, i almost didn't want to go. then of course, by the time i was home and gotten used to it, i didn't want to ge back to stockholm. but i'm still here, and now getting ready to go back home again, and not for good, i'll be back soon. now i'm trying everything to spend more time here, another semester, anything because i truly fell in love. and no matter how desperately i cling to the life i lived the past few years, this journey made me realise that once change happens, you have to let it go eventually and also, what lies ahead is kinda fun, even though it's not the same. new thoughts emerge, guilt about potentionally leaving my family, ruining my partners future since i have to move back to my home town to finish uni, and then what? i'm still far from embracing the change, but this semester had been the best i've ever had and i have grown more than i did the past 3 years combined. thank you 2023, for the first time i can say i'm a new person compared to who i was last year.
One word to describe my 2023 would be "Scared". I was so scared all the time. Between 2019 and 2022 I experienced the most pain and grief I've ever had in my entire life. And it felt so endless that I spent all of 2023 scared that more terrible things would happen, it felt like the pain and hopelessness were one continuous and inevitable stream, but the thing is that nothing happened in 2023, difficult things have, but nothing comparable to what I was terrified of. And yet I had more dark spiralling anxious days in 2023 than I ever did before, too scared too even leave my bed or the sofa. So I will keep repeating two things to myself, my mantra for 2024: I spent a whole year bracing myself for a terrible impact and it didn't happen. / Things can still end well, sometimes.
JADE, THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video. You have no idea what it means to me your authenticity and your acceptance of every phase pf your life. It inspires me SO MUCH because this last year was and still is a big challenge for me. But knowing that I'm not the only one in the world who's struggling helps me embrace all the challenges that life makes me encounter. Thank you Jade, from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot explain how much people like you bright up the world. Usually i would have written this message in private but i want to share it with all the community as i know it can help people feeling less alone in this messy world. I feel safe here. Whoever is reading this, you are absolutely capable and worthy of everything. I wish you all the best and I dare you to follow always your dreams, whatever they be, so in this way you cannot help but bringing brightness into this world☀️☀️☀️❤️❤️❤️
The first word that emerges is 'overwhelming' - it's been a year of forevers and uncertainties. I started my PhD, scattered my mother's ashes, got engaged, moved cities, shepherding my siblings through grief, attended a nature retreat, got diagnosed with Ehler's Danlos Syndrome which explains so much and not enough at the same time. I am very excited for 2024 to begin, which is actually my Saturn return because this year was a lot and I wanted that new chapter to be carved out, the muscles strengthened, and a new possibilities to reveal themselves.
‘Stretch’ has been my word for 2023
Stretching my limits by visiting a couple of new countries and meet more than a couple of amazing new friends and spending so much time with them helping me stretch the limits of what I imagined I could be
Stretching every morning to wake me my sleepy muscles and my sleepy lungs and get my heart beating and my body warm
Stretching myself academically by persevering with lectures and not letting myself feel down for falling behind
Stretching my arms open wide, before jumping (both metaphorically, into new situations and chapters of this beautiful thing called life, but also off Bloukrans Bridge near Storm River, South Africa!)
Jade, this video made ma sob so hard. I follow you since a few years and I love your videos so much. You inspire me to be a loving, authentic, good myself and I’m so grateful for this. With every video I know I’ll learn something new and honestly, you’re very much a role model for me. Thank you for that.
my word for this year is definitely growth.
this is the first year on my life that i’ve prioritised my mental health, my physical health, my relationships and my sense of self. i’ve grown so much in confidence to the point that i was able to give a presentation for my IM project with ease (and got 85% on it!!), i started a new part time job but maintained my studies and social life. i’m looking after myself which is helping me to look after other people - i never thought it would be possible but 2023 has allowed me to grow into the best version of myself :))
Jade, my love! You bring me so much joy! I also had an "uncertainty" year and a heartbreak year when I graduated from university a few years back so this was strangely comforting and familiar to watch. A real mirror moment
this year I tried to live abroad (Europe) because it was a hidden desire since I was a teenager, but after three cities, 1 job, 1 heartbreak (kkkrying), I could realize how much I love my country and my hometown, even though we have many problems (it's not developed country!) there are some aspects of life which are not related to money or city indexes of quality, so I already bought my ticket flight to return next month.
and thank you for sharing your life and perspective Jade! I've been watching your videos in the last years, I arrived here because I started to learning english and here we are again, but you're an inspiration for me and I appreciate it!
I hope you a beautiful 2024!
I absolutely loved the honesty in this video!! It's good to know that it's ok to feel uncertain and that everyone feels that way even if they seem to have everything together. I think my word for this year would have to be growth, I'm so proud of how far I've come from 2022 and even though there's a long way to go, I've managed to find some peace :)
i think the word that describes my 2023 would definitely be "change"
so many things changed in my life this year, i graduated high school in the summer, i turned 18, started university and moved away from home for the very first time in the fall, im still struggling to figure out what i want in life, what im working towards, idk if i picked the right major for me im still having a hard time making friends and adjusting to life away from home but its already the end of term, end of the year, i cant wait to see what 2024 has in store, im ready for the feeling of a fresh start, ps thank you for opening up and sharing your experienced with uncertainty this year, your videos will always be a safe space for me