“I want to be myself again.” I understand that wish. But after everything you have lived through, why should your next chapter have to look exactly like the old one?
“I want to be myself again” can mean several things. Perhaps you miss your curiosity, your energy or the ease you once felt with other people. Name what you miss. You do not have to bring back every part of your old life to make room for those qualities.
Make two short lists. On the first, write what you want to keep: a friendship, a creative interest, the habit of speaking honestly. On the second, write what you would handle differently now.
The point is to make the next chapter more deliberate. An old pattern does not become a good one simply because it feels familiar.
A description of the person you want to become is a beginning. A small action makes it visible. If you want to be more reliable, choose a promise you can keep. If you want more curiosity, give an unanswered question some attention.
Make the action modest enough to repeat. You can adjust it as you learn. A difficult day does not erase the work you have already done, and you do not need to turn every setback into a verdict about yourself.
What would you like to carry forward? What deserves a different response this time? Start with those two questions. The next version of your life can have something new in it.