(CLAIR | Simi Valley) — Can we just stop and take in the fact that 2025 is already here? For so many people, it’s not just another new year creeping up—it’s a giant, flashing reminder of how fast everything’s been moving and how much we’re still carrying from the chaos of the past few years. It feels like we barely made it out of 2020, and now we’re supposed to be ready for 2025? Seriously?
There’s this strange thing that happened to time during the pandemic. It felt like life hit pause for a while—except it also didn’t. Days blurred into weeks, weeks into months, and somehow years disappeared in a way that still doesn’t feel real. For a lot of us, 2019 feels like the last “normal” year. Everything after has been this surreal mix of survival and confusion. And now that we’re shotgunning into 2025, it feels like we’ve been thrown into the deep end with no chance to process how we got here.
It’s hard not to feel the weight of it all. The unfinished plans, the missed opportunities, and the dreams that got put on hold during the pandemic are still hanging over many of us. Even though life seems to be moving on at full speed, it doesn’t mean we’ve caught up. The speed of time itself feels different now, like someone hit fast-forward, and we’re all just trying not to trip over ourselves.
What makes it worse is the pressure to act like everything’s fine, like we’ve all adjusted and are ready for whatever’s next. But let’s be real—so many of us still feel stuck. Stuck in memories of what we lost, stuck in the uncertainty of what’s ahead, and stuck in the weird middle ground of trying to figure out what “moving on” even looks like.
If the thought of 2025 has you spiraling a little, it’s okay to feel that way. It’s okay to not feel ready or accomplished or caught up. A lot of people are feeling that way.
Perhaps it’s best to remember—life isn’t a sprint, and there’s no prize for looking like you’ve got it all figured out. Maybe what matters most right now is slowing down where you can and focusing on what feels manageable. One thing that is becoming more and more clear: as individuals, we are definitely not alone in this. We are all mostly still figuring it out, one day at a time.
