If you didn't guess from my long silence, I was going through a tough time for a while there. It started a little before the election, and then the unexpected and (to me) horrible outcome really threw me for a loop.

Being a contingent worker for more than a year was really getting to me. I had a couple of glimmers of hope, and then big disappointments, and that didn't help much. I got a bit of tunnel vision and felt like if this part of my life wasn't right, everything was wrong.

Besides, everyone else seemed to be having a rough year too.

What has changed? I'm not really sure, to be honest. I did a lot of little things. I started working more on self-care. I feel more hopeful. I found my Happy Light, which had been packed with the Christmas things. I worked on giving myself a break.

I'm still searching for a full-time job, but I decided to start a couple of businesses. My business is still getting off the ground -- I am doing some social media marketing and some workshops.

I also started a new skincare regimen, and have had good results with the Rodan + Fields Reverse line. I'll be posting my before and after pics once I have a full month in. My skin feels softer and looks brighter. It's still not perfect, but I can see big improvements in the sun damage I get from spending so much time outdoors. I want to try the Redefine regimen next, which is the anti-aging line. I like the brand so much, I decided to try being a consultant.

Not having all my eggs in the job search basket has improved my outlook a lot. Something is going to work out, I just know it.