There’s a trending audio on Instagram Reels about the gap between the “before” and “after” phases when it comes to getting your life together. Even though we often focus on the outward signs of a huge transformation, to achieve real results, you need to work on your body, emotions, and mental health simultaneously.

It’s sometimes hard for people to talk about their vulnerabilities, which creates that gap afterwards when sharing results and experiences. Not many speak about it, not only because it’s deeply personal, but also because when you’re healing and working on yourself, you often learn to work in silence. There are, however, people who choose to share their personal stories and traumas with hundreds or even thousands of others. I’m very grateful for these stories because they are genuinely helping me on my journey, easing the heavy burden of always feeling alone in my experiences and emotions. You are not alone!

When it comes to those close to me, the advice I was most often given in recent years has been: “Just get your shit together!” It’s a vague phrase, intended to show support by expressing the belief that you can handle things yourself, but at the same time, it distances people from you and your struggles. I used to take offence at that piece of advice. What I really needed was someone to get actively involved in my life and tell me how to get my shit together. In the end, though, it’s only up to you to work it out.

I’ve decided to use this blog to share my own experience. I want to talk about the gap between “before” and “after” because I’m right in the middle of it. I want to share the way I’m figuring things out in the hope of inspiring someone else, or giving them that much-needed idea for a first step.

Please keep in mind two things: I’m speaking only from personal experience – I can offer ideas, not roadmaps; and I strongly believe in working with a professional if you’re looking to make sustainable changes in your life.

1. Start with your health


NIB and Ember

Blog

Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

10. Franz-Karl-Effenberg | Vienna Hiking Trails

It's a gloomy October day in 2023, and I am walking along hiking trail number 10 - spectacularly unspectacular: no...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

9. Prater | Vienna Hiking Trails

The Prater trail is quite easy in the sense that it lacks any real hiking challenges. I strongly recommend splitting...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Hiking in Vienna | Wanderpass

Let me take you on a hike (or several) around Vienna! Back in 2022, as life was slowly beginning to feel normal...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Prater Museum

It's a sunny day at the beginning of September, and I have decided that we should visit the Prater Museum. Since I am...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

St. Virgil Chapel

I have passed the St. Virgil Chapel many times without actually paying attention to the museum entrance. In general,...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

The Vienna Clock Museum

What an absolutely unexpected treat that museum is! You don't need to be a watch collector or a clock enthusiast to...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Baby Shower (of a kind)

Back where I come from, we don't do baby showers before the baby is born. Or at least we didn't use to. When my...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Cake Pops

This is a recipe from the archive of a previous blog. I hope you enjoy! For the dessert table at the baby shower I...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Mermaid Birthday Cake

Let me take you back in post-covid times: after two years of not being able to celebrate my daughter's birthday, I...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Pumpkin Pie

This is a recipe from the archives of a previous blog. I hope you enjoy it! For this recipe, I browsed through many...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Birthday in Yellow

Going down memory lane for my mother's 60th birthday. For me, birthdays are a big deal, and the more surprises and...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Butter Cookies

This recipe is from the archives of a previous blog. I hope you enjoy! These Czech-style butter cookies have brought...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Shortcake with Cream and Strawberries

This recipe is from the archive of a previous blog. I hope you enjoy! A classic English dessert that brings together...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

Lemon Temptations

This recipe is from the archive of a previous blog. I hope you enjoy! I don’t know where or how it all began: whether...
Just Get Your Sh!t Together!

The More Elaborate Tiramisu

This recipe is from the archive of a previous blog. I hope you enjoy! Apart from the obligatory ladyfingers, coffee...