2024: A Year of Focus and Health

2024, although turbulent professionally, was the year I became more focused and healthy than ever before. I want to share a story about my 2024 year in health, and hopefully, you can glean some insights on how to make 2025 your healthiest year yet.

For me, I really love fitness—probably to a fault. I lean on it when times are tough to help me cope with stress. I also lean on it when times are good as an excuse to get outside when the sun is shining, making it a healthy outlet. I love buying things, and I justify it with, “It’s for my health,” so I can purchase the latest running gear and tech. I also love signing up for gym memberships, eating healthy food, and the list goes on. You can see how this can become problematic if left unchecked, but I digress.

2024 was the year I was fed up. I entered 2024 unemployed, tired from yet another failed startup attempt, facing a very difficult job market, feeling lonely, nearly broke, and just completely worn down from everything that had happened over the years. It ends now! I said to myself. I was anxious, barely left the house, didn’t hang out with friends in person, had no hobbies, and lacked the energy for the ones I used to enjoy. I was just a husk of a man, barely managing to muster the energy to run in the mornings. I had this bug in me, and I was determined to squash it this year. I told myself that if I did nothing else in 2024 but overcome my anxiety and get my mental and physical health back on track, I would be perfectly content—even if I tried and failed miserably. So, here we go…

Coconut reluctantly going on a run with me every single day (she would rather be wrapped up in a blanket)

Phase 1: Heather Signs Me Up for Activities

Heather loves signing me up for things. Back when we first met, she’d sign me up for long runs with friends on unknown trails or races up some hellacious terrain. Now, she signs me up for creative activities. This time, it was an 8-week pottery class.

I’ve written about this earlier, but I’ll recap briefly. The class went tremendously well. Since I had an abundance of time, I went to the studio six days a week, spending 2–6 p.m. there. I was relentless. I made as much as I possibly could, learning while I looked for jobs. I wasn’t getting many interviews, so being at the studio was much better for my mental health. If I’d stayed home, I’d have just been refreshing my email endlessly, hoping someone wanted to interview me.

So, that’s how the first two months of the year went. I was so nervous at first because I hadn’t been around a group of people in a very long time.

Early 2024 Jon the potter, making a really thin rimmed cup looks like and not cleaning off the bottom lol. Oh how much I’ve grown.

Phase 2: Consistency in Training

A lot of psychologists say that anxiety and mental health issues can be improved through fitness and routine. So, I decided to get my ass out of the house every day. My goal was to walk or run every morning, meditate at least three days a week (usually through yoga), and try to eat a healthier diet. I also wanted to journal and read more, but those habits were harder to establish. (2025 is going to be my reading and writing year!)

Pancake is always down for a run even if he is blind. Best little training running dog I’ve ever known.

By the end of the year, I had exceeded my goals. I was more active in 2024 than ever before, logging a total of 372 hours of activity—just over an hour a day on average! This helped boost my confidence, which is another key to reducing anxiety. The more confident you are, the less anxious you feel.

My 2024 was staggeringly consistent, the summer months were unbearable but I did it. It gets well over 100 here and you basically have to wake up and finish your run before the sun rises otherwise it becomes unpleasantly hot especially with the doggos

Phase 3: Socializing

We started booking events to attend together. I bought some concert tickets, and we went to some great shows at The Greek Theatre. It was wonderful to finally get out and be in big crowds again. I hadn’t been in a crowd in years, so this was very anxiety-inducing for me.

Literally the most anxious I’ve been in a while, it was amazing seeing everyone but it was exhausting. I’ll be there 2025 and in a much better headspace!

I also wanted to travel. Not just to events, but to places like Los Angeles, Hawaii, and even overseas someday. Heather and I haven’t traveled much together, and I LOVE traveling. I’d love to show her my home country, England (well, technically I was born here, but my parents are total Anglophiles).

A much overdue visit to see mom in santa cruz

Coincidentally, we were invited to several events, including two weddings—one in Santa Monica. I managed to get on a plane for the first time in about eight years! I even took two flights last year.

Heather being an amazing painter in Marin

Just having a nice little walk in Tiberon, our first time away from home in a very long time

A little trip down memory lane, this was where I took Heather on Valentines day to have dinner out of my mom’s BMW convertible. A kid walking by said “That’s the most romantic shit I’ve ever seen!” and we laughed.

An epic concert to see Beck with a Symphony at The Greek with our friend Sidney

If you haven’t been to The Greek in the summer, GO! It was a beautiful evening and the venue is fantastic but bring a butt cushion because man are those cement seats hard (getting old sucks).

One more concert that wasn’t quite as good but still fun

Our friend Thomas’s wedding

Our friend John and Elissa’s wedding. Got to see some of my old coworkers for the first time in years

My Dad, eating a gigantic plate of fried chicken. He really liked it and he was very excited

Hanging with the doggos in LA

Might have been my favorite concert to date, Reggie Watts, a master of everything and what a good person he is. Love this guy so much.

This may have been the most LA thing I’ve ever done, hanging in a mansion in the Hollywood hills on Halloween at a celebrity party for a new fashion brand

Napa in the pouring rain on my 40th birthday hanging at the vineyard doing the Napa thing. Heather managed to scape together a last minute plan because our cat got sick and the Hawaiian trip we wanted to go on had to get postponed till March

A day trip to Bodega Bay, (I would never have considered a day trip with this much driving before)

Finally got to see this Brooklyn based brother and sister duo, Tinzo and JoJo in sf (it was a daytime show which is about all I can handle these days)

Phase 4: What’s Next?

This year, as I mentioned earlier, is all about refinement. I have a great system in place where I get up early, run in the morning, and now lift weights in the evening. I’m also writing more and in the process of removing things that don’t add value—like certain social media platforms—so I can spend more time writing in spaces like this.

I know long-form content can be a snooze fest, but my goal is to create something helpful and useful for people. Don’t worry, though—I’ll still post the occasional puppy video because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love those? I also have cute puppies, so they’ll make appearances here, too.

2024 was the year I took control of my health and mental well-being. If you’re looking to make 2025 your healthiest year yet, I hope my story inspires you to take that first step—no matter how small—and keep going. It’s worth it.