The Why Behind “Becoming Better-ish”

How hitting rock bottom taught me that growth doesn’t have to be perfect.

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For a little over two years, my life has felt like one big black hole of nothingness.

 In 2022, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I had to leave behind my home in Sri Lanka, my family, my friends, and a career I loved to move to Canada. Back home, I was finally building the career I had always dreamed of — I worked as a Content Writer in a job that felt meaningful, challenging, and fulfilling. Work didn’t feel like work — it felt like purpose.

Image credits: Daniel Martinez. Image from Unsplash.com.

But when Sri Lanka went through a severe economic crisis in 2022, my future there became uncertain. So, I chose to leave — to start over in Vancouver, Canada, where I hoped I could rebuild the life I wanted.

I never imagined how difficult “starting over” would be. Especially alone.

Suddenly, everything I had worked so hard to achieve — my qualifications, experience, the years of hard work I poured into my career — didn’t seem to matter here. I was told, over and over again, that I needed to start from scratch. And so I did. I went from leadership roles to doing entry-level work again. And as much as I tried to stay positive, it slowly chipped away at my confidence in ways I couldn’t fully explain.

Without even realizing it, I started to spiral.

The goals I once dreamed of felt completely out of reach. My sense of purpose faded, replaced by self-doubt, paralyzing anxiety, and a deep sense of inadequacy.

I coped the only way I knew how at the time: procrastinating, binge eating junk food, numbing out with Netflix marathons. Apart from going to work and showing up for classes (I was continuing my higher studies at the time), my daily routine became a painful cycle — wake up, stare at my laptop all day, binge-watch shows, order takeout, feel ashamed, promise to do better tomorrow, then repeat. The spiral took a serious toll on my physical and mental health.

Eventually, when my anxiety was at an all-time high, something clicked.

I knew I couldn’t keep living like this. I felt like I was wasting my life away — and I was. I had to find a way to reignite the spark I once had.

I started small.

I began therapy. I worked on the habits that were holding me back. I researched how to stay focused, motivated, and present. I listened to podcasts that helped me shift my perspective and believe in possibilities again.

Image credits: Hrant Khachatryan. Image from Unsplash.com.

 Through this slow, messy process, I learned two life-changing lessons:

1)    Healing and growth aren’t linear — they’re full of trial and error.

2)    I’m not alone.

As I spent countless hours researching and listening to others’ stories, I realized how many people quietly battle the same feelings of hopelessness, confusion, and self-doubt. But something was missing — in all these stories, we rarely celebrate the small wins. We rarely acknowledge the tiny victories that deserve just as much recognition as the big ones.

And more than anything, I realized what I had been missing most: community.

A space where people understood the messy process of becoming better. A place to share honest struggles, offer advice, and remind each other that we’re all figuring it out as we go. I made it this far on my own, but I truly believe the journey could have been a little easier, a little less lonely, with a supportive community.

So, I created this blog — Becoming Better-ish — to share everything I’ve learned (and continue to learn) about healing, personal growth, building better habits, and learning how to take care of myself — imperfectly.

Because at the end of the day, no one can save us. And no one knows us better than we know ourselves — we just haven’t always paid close enough attention. Sooner or later, we need to save ourselves. It's the least we can do.

Full disclosure? I’m not fully okay yet. I still have a long way to go. And being this open and vulnerable online absolutely terrifies me. But I’m choosing to take the leap — to share what I’m learning, in hopes that even one person feels seen or supported by what I share.

Apart from my regular blog posts, twice a month, I’ll be featuring interviews with people just like you and me — not celebrities or billionaires, but everyday people who’ve faced many challenges and found ways to move forward. These could be stories of overcoming debt, walking away from toxic relationships, navigating mental health struggles, battling self-doubt, dealing with career setbacks, managing chronic illness, rebuilding after failure, or simply figuring out how to show up for themselves during difficult seasons. Because no matter what the struggle looks like, every journey of growth holds valuable lessons — and these stories deserve to be heard, celebrated, and shared.

So, if you have a story to share — one you believe might help someone else be better versions of themselves — please reach out to me at: senuri@becomingbetterish.com. I’d love to give you space to share your journey here.

And of course, stay tuned, as I’ll be posting new blog posts every Tuesday and Thursday, sharing everything I’ve learned (and am still learning) on my journey.

Here’s to progress over perfection.

Here’s to becoming better-ish.