Embracing the Outsider Within: Self-Confidence as a Foreigner
When I arrived in Split last year, I was already comfortable with who I am. I was battling grief, so it would tend to throw me off at the most inopportune times, but at no point did it make me feel less than. I also quickly realized I looked like I wasn’t from Split.
It was a strange feeling. I had spent just under two weeks in Split months earlier and several more in other parts of Croatia. Even throughout my travels last year in Turkey and in Italy, I knew I looked like a foreigner, but I was travelling, so obviously I would look different - like a tourist. However, once I moved here, I quickly became hyper-aware of societal nuances, style, and lifestyle—and it became clear I wasn’t like anyone here.
Breaking the Cycle: Embracing Self-Love and Healing My Inner Child
In “Breaking the Cycle: Embracing Self-Love and Healing My Inner Child,” I share my journey of prioritizing myself for the first time. After years of living for others, I awoke to the need to focus on my own well-being and happiness. This introspective piece delves into my struggles with guilt and insecurity while highlighting the importance of self-empowerment and support from loved ones. As I work to heal my inner child, I explore how embracing self-love has transformed my life, helping me navigate challenges and find peace in my choices.
I Am Enough: Redefining Success Beyond Society’s Standards
While watching a video of a 36-year-old woman who embraced her independence by moving abroad and leaving a past relationship behind, I felt a deep connection to her story. Her newfound empowerment was inspiring, but the negative feedback she received about her life choices—being childless and unmarried—stung deeply. At 38, single, and confronting the reality of possibly not having children, I grapple with similar feelings. However, I focus on the joy and fulfillment I’ve built in my life, knowing that I am responsible for creating my own happiness. This journey has taught me that I am enough just as I am, and I continue to find joy and purpose through travel, meaningful connections, and personal growth.
Trading Toronto for the Adriatic: My Journey of Starting Over
“Walking out of my Toronto apartment for the last time felt as if I was saying goodbye to who I once was, leaving that woman behind; the version that had carried me through life, helped me survive, succeed, and challenge me.”
Imperfect Growth: Lessons From A Woman’s Journey Through Change And Adaptation
“I always try to make the best of a situation. I don’t mean the ‘toxic positivity’ way of thinking. I mean, I sit in it; in all of its sadness, seemingly impossible moments just to survive it because I’ve learned that sitting through it is the only way to survive it and come out on the other side.”