Journal: And then the AI ate my job

It started so well...

This is a recap for January 5 – January 13, 2026

The week opened on steady ground—which was nice. Sleep was inconsistent and often sacrificed (oops), but my mood stayed good and my energy held in the medium-to-high range. I felt good. Warm weather helped. It’s January and I was wearing shorts most days.

Work was more of a chore than it needed to be. I work from home, and I often have to keep odd hours for it. Ongoing software issues turned simple tasks into an on-again, off-again struggle that bled into the night after a family visit early in the week. Sleep became the casualty, though a handful of catnaps kept me functional enough to push through. The important thing was that the work got done.

Outside of work, I kept things light and familiar. I began listening to Heretics of Dune, eased through season three of Stranger Things, and stayed consistent with brief Final Fantasy XIV dailies.

Listening to the Body Instead of Forcing It

Physically, the week began with consistency. Daily walks added up—four miles most days—and bodyweight exercises continued their slow progression. I kept logging my food on Lose It!

Then my knee said “Hi.” A tweak I couldn’t really trace made itself known quickly. Instead of pushing through, I chose restraint: wearing a brace, stepping back from workouts, and breaking movement into shorter walks. By evening the next day, the pain had eased, but I still didn’t resume workouts just yet. More on that later.

Even as energy dipped later in the week, walking remained the one constant. Averaging around three and a half miles a day wasn’t as much as I wanted, but every little bit counts when you haven’t been doing much for far too long.

Quiet Days and Meaningful Connections

Midweek slowed noticeably. Sleep remained fragmented, energy hovered in the middle. I was off work, which lowered the pressure, and while writing didn’t happen, reading did—along with continued listening to Heretics of Dune (I'll write more about this later, too). It was a nice, slow time to try to work on keeping the new routines going.

One conversation stood out during the week. A long, honest talk with a close friend from a small writing group. They sought my advice during a potential conflict, and then we both just ADHDed on into anything and everything. We talked about struggles, we talked about friendships and how difficult they can be.

Then they said they valued my opinion. Hearing how much they valued my perspective meant more than I realized I needed. I don’t mean for this to sound like a ‘pat myself on the back moment,’ but damn, it was nice. I do love my friends. I don’t have a lot of close friends, but they are family.

That moment became the clear win for that day.

...and then it happened

From Thursday through Tuesday, the week went to poop. Energy dropped, sleep scattered (even beyond what it was), and the weather just dropped. The entire world shifted into a persistent meh.

The defining moment came with the loss of my job. It was eliminated and replaced by AI. Writing that still feels strange. I’m now unemployed and overdrawn, and while I haven’t lost hope, hope doesn’t stop a bank account from slipping further into the red. This affected everything else—sleep, focus, motivation.

I have so much I could say about AI. The world now, the way AI is shaping it and being forced into everything and how NOT POSITIVE it’s being. But that can be a rant for another time. Maybe that can be its own post soon.

Creatively, writing wasn’t even considered. I also did no physical reading, but I tried to enjoy my audiobooks while on walks and a show or movie at night. I finished Heretics of Dune, moved into Chapterhouse: Dune, wrapped up Stranger Things season three, and watched The Northman.

Socially, I did my best to stay connected. I leaned on my creative spaces more than I probably realized at the time. If there’s a win in this stretch, it’s that I didn’t disappear. I kept talking. I kept reaching out. Normally, I fade away—not on purpose, it’s just what I do when life kicks my legs out from under me. That I didn’t do that this time with so much friggin stress shows me how much healthier my mindset is at the moment.

Not the end of the story

This wasn’t a good stretch of days. I won’t pretend otherwise. I’m still in a bad spot—applying for jobs, reaching out locally, picking up what odd work I can in an area with very little opportunity. It could be worse, but that doesn’t make this easy.

Still, I’m here. I’m grateful for friends who are doing their best to keep my spirits lifted. I’m moving my body and fighting for a way forward even when the path isn’t clear yet.

This week didn’t end with a solution, but I’m still kicking. There’s a way forward. I’ll fight to find it.