Does anyone feel like 2026 has changed you for the worse? Like it’s been a year of either no change or bad change?

[elm26]

I cannot even explain how bad this year has been for me (before I say it, I know I’m incredibly lucky to have a roof over our heads and 2 healthy (ish) children and a Husband) that I’m being treated for anxiety and depression because my nervous system is constantly waiting for the next “attack” or threat.

5 hospital admissions in my sons first year of life with bronchiolitis, our family holiday which we were so looking forward to spending time together due to running our businesses and being separated so much due to DS being in hospital a lot ended in him being hospitalised on day 3 with bronchiolitis again, DH flew home with DD on day 7 as planned and he was finally discharged and fit to fly on day 11. I was a nervous wreck at this point, in a local hospital where they didn’t speak English and they gave me watered down mash potato and an unidentified meat to eat every day and DS a blended up version. I was having to wash his bottles with hand soap in the dirty bathroom sink and pour hot (not boiling because the staff didn’t have a kettle and couldn’t understand why I needed boiling water) in them to try and sterilise, also had to use hot water to mix his formula. Even typing this is making my heart race, how he didn’t end up more unwell I have no idea. I lived on the odd bit of fruit they brought me for 5 days. The only good thing to come out of this is that I appreciate our hospitals and NHS so much more.

I’ve gone from being confident and looking after myself (nails, hair and monthly facial) to a nervous wreck who’s stopped all of these things.

I am constantly exhausted, it actually feels like an ache in my bones some days. Brain fog, I forget everything, I am 33 and feel 83. I’ve lost all concentration, used to read a book on my kindle per week. I pick it up and have to put it down after 2 pages because I’m not taking it in (I’ve been an avid reader all of my life since a child).

I genuinely feel like every day, I am wading through knee deep thick sludge to get to bedtime. I’m so sick of this, it’s really getting me down.

Does anyone else feel that 2026 has just been a year of either being stuck in the same place or gone downhill? I keep thinking surely I’ll get some great news soon, and more bad news or inconvenient news seems to arrive!

Yes, it's been the worse year of my life.

It's been a challenge for my mental health...but not as bad as your situation. Sounds exhausting.
The year of the firehorse is very stormy for sure.

Not specifically 2026, my life’s been like this for years. Disabled adult daughter living at home. I’m exhausted

I’m so sorry to hear that @Boxfulloftoys💐

@malificent7mental health is no joke when it’s failing you, here if you need to chat x

@Sahara123I’m sorry ♥️ do you have any respite? X

Same. Apart from the year when one of my best and oldest friends took his life in the most horrific way.

So sorry for your loss and to hear you’ve had a bad year too 💐

Worst year ever. Kids both newly diagnosed with autism, both really struggling with school, there's fuck all support so I'm basically just winging it. Diagnosed with autism, ADHD and dyspraxia myself; my manager decided I was too much of a risk to be allowed to do my job any more and asked for me to be transferred out of her section. Tapering off SSRIs because I'm having terrible memory and brain fog issues, fighting withdrawal every step of the way for months, not sure if we worsening mental state is caused by the withdrawal or underlying condition. My GP referred me to a psychiatrist about the ADHD but then got in a strop and shouted at me because the psychiatrist asked her to refer me to cardiology before prescribing stimulants; apparently that's not a GP's job (?!) so now I have no GP, and my psychiatrist discharged me to try and force the GP to take control so now I have no psychiatrist.Under investigation for possible afib. My mother is starting to show signs of dementia and is very frail and has mobility problems so keeps falling and expects me to go and pick her up off the floor when she's stuck, which I'm not remotely comfortable doing. And now my husband is leaving me.

This year can fuck away off with itself.

Oh thank you, that's so kind. I hope life improves for everyone.

It’s been appalling. I genuinely thought I would lose my mind back in July, slowly coming out of it with some help.

Not this year no. But I know how it feels to lose trust in life and be scared to relax, be happy or try to enjoy myself because I'm waiting for the next bad thing to happen. I know how exhausting the constant fear and hyper vigilance can be. I understand the feeling of not looking forward to anything, because what's the point, it may go wrong. I know how it feels to have experienced something so awful that it leaves you traumatised. I know it takes a while to get back from it, but eventually, if you hang in there, life often gets kinder, and you find your confidence and optimism again. I hope that happens soon for you.

Yep
wont go in to the gory details of why, but I feel this year has destroyed me. Used to be really organised, clean and tidy home, read books, had beauty and exercise routines, loved socialising

now my house is a tip, I stay up all night crying. I look awful, I eat shit. Really anxious to leave the house, spend all day looking in fear at my ring doorbell. I hate my life. DC are all away studying, I WFH full time so I’ve had no barriers to this descent

I hate who I am but I can’t seem to find a way back

You describe this so well, I’m hyper vigilant, living on my nerves, it’s so exhausting but I feel paralysed, I have no energy or desire to change

Yes, since June it has gone to absolute shit, and I don't recognise myself anymore.

I’m sorry so many of you are struggling. Please reach out to friends and family in real life if you need practical support.

For me, it’s been one of my best years as I’ve lost loads of weight on MJ and feel so much happier about myself and grateful to be healthy and have a good partner and plenty of friends.

However, I was definitely in a very dark place 26 years ago after my mum died and lots of other things went very wrong in my life and I felt utterly powerless. I was single in my mid-thirties and couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel and felt scared and alone but gradually, things on my life changed.

I think one thing to remember is that even if we can’t change things ourself, the world around us keeps spinning and change happens anyway and we have to make ourselves keep going because that change will happen despite us.

I really hope this doesn’t across as smug and patronising but I wanted to offer hope as I remember how it felt to be full of despair. <<hugs for anyone who needs them>>