Three honest reflections from Jon Red on exhaustion, rest and making space for what matters.
Category Archives: personal development
Breaking
This time I’ve been stretched to my absolute limit. In April/May, I had the opportunity to take breaks whenever I needed despite the relentless workload and deadlines. This time, I’m on my final practical teaching experience, so I need to be prepared and present five days a week. Everything was looking okay in the run-up.Continue reading “Breaking”
When your body says slow down
Three honest reflections on rest, overload and making space for what matters.
Unfiltered
Please, please, please keep reaching out to mental health professionals and helplines if, like me, you can’t do this alone. You will find someone who gets it even if you have to push through several options. The barriers to help suck. The cost, the waiting. Don’t give up–there is a way through this. The followingContinue reading “Unfiltered”
Trauma
This is going to be messy and unorganized, but unfiltered. I know there are people who have had it far worse than I could ever imagine and I feel deeply for anyone who’s gone through any kind of trauma. However, one of the biggest sources of pain and suffering that I see and experience inContinue reading “Trauma”
Revelations
I’d like to preface this by saying that I’m not a mental health or medical professional. If you’ve experienced any of the issues I talk about, please seek professional help. What I describe below has not been officially diagnosed for me, but is based on a lot of reading and introspection. Below are my lessonsContinue reading “Revelations”
Life
Written in July 2025: I have a rare month with nothing to worry about. I did well in my first semester, and I won’t know what I’m studying next semester until it begins. I’ve had a lot of time to think. All this time off means for the first time since my child was born,Continue reading “Life”
Step…
A raw account of suicidal thoughts during a mental health crisis, the struggle to keep going for family, and taking life one step at a time.
Control
In my last posts, I described a brief mental health crisis I went through. The lesson I’ve had to re-learn is that I need to re-shift my focus to what’s in my control. I need to take full ownership of my situation because no one else can or will. It’s nothing personal; it’s just thatContinue reading “Control”
Why
I recently went through a mental health crisis. While I encourage you to follow the ideas in this post I wrote previously., I’m going to explain why those resources failed me in the hope that someone who works in mental health sees this and has the power and motivation to do something about it. IContinue reading “Why”
Goals (III)
IntroductionAfter almost a decade of studying and living personal development, I’ve come to realise that a lot of the advice (including some of my own!) on making goals is convoluted. This puts many people off and makes it hard for them to achieve their goals. Goal-making doesn’t need to be complicated. I’ll walk you throughContinue reading “Goals (III)”
Still here
Posts will continue to be sporadic, but I’m still here. Here’s an update of what’s been going on in my life: It’s been a significant time of transition for my family and I. My job in management ended and we moved countries all as planned. The main reason for the move was quality of life.Continue reading “Still here”
