Career change right after a medical emergency that nearly killed me (not my first, but probably one of my worst), while coping with a hostile work environment -and- learning to handle an anxiety disorder. It sounds more harrowing than it was in retrospect, because I was my own worst enemy here in a lot of ways.

[i](That's not entirely true, the executive chef was and is a violent lunatic, and he probably was the actual worst enemy. ;) )[/i]

I learned that anxiety is a bitch but a lot of people have it. Understanding it helped me to control it. I also learned that knowing when to cut people off is important, though I still struggle with that. That lively sense of 'don't give a fuck about your haters' is an important element of serenity in life. Shutting down the toxicity of others and guarding against it in yourself is probably an evolving fight. Letting it go has a lot to do with that.

Above all, mistakes will be made but learning from 'em is what counts.