There are no words for how miserably I failed the n1.
That being said, it was easier than I’d expected. It’s just that I sucked 😛
N1 aside, apparently I’m going to Japan in March, and starting off with an intensive N1 language course. I really should get back to studying.
A Japanese Odyssey 
I hope you’ve found your way out of your post-N1 slump already. If not, it may help to try reframing the situation.
For example, from what you’ve written, you improved a lot last year–and not just in Japanese. On those grounds alone, however, you made huge gains. And even if you didn’t pass the N1, you gained that experience–as well as the knowledge perhaps that to achieve amazing things you have to really focus on them (that you can’t, in other words, be amazing at all things at once and thus have to focus you energy on what’s truly important and meaningful to you).
Anyway, I know how hard it can be to break out of one of these spells. As Dr. Seuss would say, “unslumping oneself is not easily done.” But it’s ultimately worth it. And if none of the above works, you can always read through or watch ARIA, perhaps the most uplifting series ever.
Thank you for your kind words 🙂 I already watched Aria and yeah, it’s the most uplifting series in the world (I actually cried tears of joy throughout the last season… it was an embarassingly girly reaction)
And yeah, the slump is a horrible thing. The plus side is that I realised that I don’t forget absolutely everything despite the lack of constant practice (The N1 written section was a good example of forgetting the more complicated matters, however >.<. I did get a boost from the fact that I knew that I had known most things before and simply forgot them due to lack of practice.) I'm trying not to be too hard on myself about it, especially since I'm going to Japan soon and will have to remember everything 😛 (though the 6 months crash course that starts in April scares me to no end).
It's already been 5 months since I've interrupted my studies… but I'm sure that I'll get out of this slump soon =).