Just got back from two weeks in Malaysia across the country (mainly in the cities) and I've been sitting with something since I landed.
I'm 19, at uni in Perth, and I've spent a decent chunk of the last year quietly annoyed about my life. Failed my driving test twice. Retail job I don't love. Assignment deadlines stacking up. The usual stuff that feels enormous when it's the only thing in front of you.
Then I'm in Malaysia watching people my age working genuinely long days, and the maths just doesn't work the way it does here. Wages that wouldn't cover a week of my expenses. No safety net if things go wrong. Healthcare that costs more out of pocket than I'm used to. Filthy and unkempt environments with huge stenches enormously long traffic. I met people who were sharper, harder working and more resourceful than me, and the difference is no matter what they do they will never reach the life I take for granted.
I'm not going to pretend I've been permanently fixed by a holiday. I know the feeling fades. But I've started writing down one thing each night that would have seemed unreachable to someone I met over there, and it's been harder to feel sorry for myself since.
If you're stuck in a rut, the problem might not be your circumstances. It might be that you've never had anything to compare them to.
I'm extremely grateful for not living in a country like Malaysia and I now see how good I have it it's made my mindset 25 percent better.